Catalyst
by Onomatopoeiafloon
Summary: Sequel to Blind Sided- It's known that there is one destined to save the world. Maximum Ride. But now a new chess piece has been thrown into play. A Catalyst. The End of the World is near...and Iggy is in danger of dragging his new family into the mess.
1. Looking Up?

_Disclaimer:_

_Only the idea is mine._

_**Pfft...**_

_**Don't really know if I'll be brave enough to post this...**_

_**But if I am then huzzah! -waves flag-**_

_**This, meaning, this MRDC crossover.**_

_**The second to fic that was NEVER meant to be a series...**_

_**But I got this idea, and it wouldn't stop prodding me with a really long and pointy stick.**_

_**So here is Catalyst, hope you enjoy...unless I never post this.**_

_**Then I hope I enjoy X3**_

_**Opening Theme- Afterlife- Avenged Sevenfold**_

_**End Theme- The Beauty and the Tragedy- Trading Yesterday**_

_**

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_Chapter One- Looking Up?_

* * *

"_like walking into a dream_

_so unlike what you've seen"—Afterlife, Avenged Sevenfold_

_**

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There was red, it was the most dominant color. Tainting everything, smothering me. The red, and the agony. So sharp in my chest...no, it wasn't sharp. It was more like burning, like the energy radiating from the source jammed against me was melting my muscles. Burning through skin and bone.

A leering face hovered above mine, I could see it. Flickering in the harsh red light. A scream was building, but it was blocked by the sheer pain.

_I'm going to die..._

* * *

I jerked awake, somehow entering the world of consciousness and sitting up in the same instant. It left me feeling a little light headed. My hand flew to my chest, expecting to feel the burning at any instant, the pain.

"Just a nightmare..." I croaked, had I been screaming? I was covered in sweat, and admittedly trembling. I shut my eyes, taking a breath in an attempt to steady myself. Kogorou's snoring continued unperterbed in the bed next to my futon.

My name is Edogawa Iggy, though at one point in my life I didn't have a last name. I'm...well, a bit different in several ways I suppose. The first I think I should point out, since it's been with me since birth, is the fact that I happen to only have ninety-eight percent human DNA.

The other two percent is avian DNA. Basically, I'm a kid with wings. I used to live with a group called the Flock, a group of us avian-human hybrids that were created by a group called the School. We were lead by Maximum Ride, who (not to be overly admiring or anything) happens to be the person who is destined to save the world.

Yeah, I know, pretty cool. Unless it's you, I guess. Since...you know, that would kind of be a crappy job to get stuck with. No offense world, but if I can avoid it I think I'd rather not be involved in whether or not you'll survive. Just dealing with the Japanese version of the freaking mafia almost killed me so...

Right, back to explaining. Don't want you people to get confused. But I can't get TOO into it, if you really want to figure out what went on just...you know, go and find where I had this information before. In the first thing...

Right, breaking the reality barrier. On with the explanation deal.

So the Flock basically consisted of Max, Fang, me, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and a flying dog named Total. That's our little group...well, until Fang basically lost what little marbles he had left and flew off. His reasoning had something to do with...I don't know, I can't get too into that because it still makes me mad.

So I got angry at him for leaving, and decided to go look for him. Not something all that bright because...well, I happen to be blind. I guess that's odd thing number two, if you can call being blind odd. Looking for things when you can't see is hardly ever very successful.

While searching for Fang to give him a...er...piece of my mind (okay, so I kinda wanted to beat him up...) when I ended up flying over Japan. I landed in a dark alley...and right in the middle of a discussion between a woman and two members of one of the most dangerous groups of criminals in this lovely little country. That woman died in my arms...

They attempted to kill me, since I was technically a witness (the irony wasn't lost on me, believe me...) and I was force fed a special kind of poison. One that causes the cells in the body to break down at a rapid rate.

It's terribly painful, in case you were curious.

I didn't die though, instead I was changed from my regular, albeit tall and winged, teenager self...into a little kid. That's the third odd thing about me, I look like I'm five or six years old...but really I'm fifteen or sixteen.

I don't know my exact age cause I kind of pick my birthdays when I feel like having one.

Because of that, after running away from grabby bystanders, I ended up meeting with Edogawa Conan, or rather, Kudou Shinichi. Another person who had the misfortune of running into the Black Organization (the baddies who shrunk me) and was shoved into the body of a child. As well as the calm scientist who created the poison, Haibara Ai. (to me Miyano Shiho)

At first I didn't trust Shinichi, or Shiho. Especially Shiho. See, she's a scientist and scientists...kinda freak me out. Eventually I grew to trust Shinichi, in fact he's...kind of a brother to me now. And Shiho...

Well we wouldn't have a good relationship if I thought she was psychotic, ne?

Long story short (because I'm rattling on and on) we ended up in the clutches of the Black Organization. I learned that the leader of said organization happened to be the guy who rescued the Flock, then stabbed us in the back, then came crawling to us, then saved us (kinda) and then basically stabbed me in the back.

Or, rather, chest I suppose. He tried to use an all powerful stone called the Pandora Gem to basically stab through my chest. Nobody knew it but...I...I'm still kind of haunted by the nightmares.

See above.

Well...Shinichi ended up getting a permanent antidote. Me however...my metabolism is too high for one to work for me. It could end up killing me, and after already dying once I'd rather not have to go through that again.

Especially at the risk of hurting Shiho...in any way.

I breathed out a sigh, having managed to sufficiently calm myself down now. My fingers absently traced over the scar tissue on my chest. After a moment I got out of my mattress and silently walked out of the room, leaving the snoring man behind me.

I walked as quietly as possible over to the sink, not willing to wake anybody in the small apartment for fear of being questioned endlessly. I managed to fill up a glass of water by standing on my tiptoes (sigh) and was just lifting the glass down from the sink when a voice startled me.

"Iggy-kun...are you up again?" Ran said, unfortunately I hadn't heard her approach so this came as a complete surprise. I fumbled the glass and ended up dumping it all over myself. It shattered at my feet, and I jumped back with a yelp, "Ah! Gomenasai!"

"N-no, it's all right." I muttered, wincing as Ran started to rub my head with a handy tea-towel. She was muttering apologies, sounding incredibly embarrassed. "You just startled me is all, Ran-chan."

"If you both would be kind enough to remember that this happens to be my temporary bedroom that'd be just wonderful." The irritated voice that broke through Ran's constant string of apologies came from my basically adopted brother, Shinichi. He'd taken up to sleeping on the couch instead of in Kogoro's room, since the old man was kind of...still a little pissed at Shinichi over the whole, little kid who was actually a teenager thing.

He was still taking up residence in the Mouri Detective Agency, on account of the fact that a weird guy named Okiya was currently living there. Not exactly easy, just kicking a guy out. Not something that gave Shiho any sympathy toward my brother, since apparently she'd been vehemently against the man moving in.

"Mou, Shinichi..." Ran said, sounding a little exasperated. Shinichi...is not a morning person, or a wake-up in the middle of the night person. His response was to snort.

"This guy here got up again..." Shinichi said flatly, getting right in my face.

"I'm sorry big brother..." I said, forcing my voice to sound high and childish, a mock of what Shinichi often did as Conan. I could feel the irritation spike from him as I continued, "It's just all the murders that follow you, who can blame a guy for getting nightmares over that?"

He placed a firm head on top of my head, "Iggy, you really enjoy being a brat sometimes, don't you?"

"You are aware that I can still break your wrist, ne?" I said with as much sugar as I could muster. Shinichi snorted in reply, but at least he removed his hand.

He walked away and stated irritably, "Three in the morning."

I didn't reply, moving back to get a glass of water (to drink this time, not shower myself with) and I noticed that Ran was whispering something to Shinichi. I pretended not to be paying any attention as I filled my glass.

I hopped down carefully from my stool and began to walk back to the room I shared with Kogorou (the old man had made it rather clear that I was to stay in there, an attempt to make Shinichi jealous. Don't laugh at him, you know he seriously thinks it'll work...) however Shinichi stopped me on the way, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you sure...that you're okay?" He asked in a whisper. I felt a strange mixture of irritation mingle with gratitude, and because of the latter I couldn't manage to sound completely irritated when I replied.

"I'm fine..." I sounded more exhausted than anything. "Nothing to worry about, Shinichi."

Even as I walked away I knew I hadn't convinced him, but...well, sometimes he will back off and leave you be. I felt a twinge go through me, perhaps telling Shinichi about the nightmares wouldn't be so bad...

No, what would be the point? After all talking about them wouldn't make them go away, and what if Shinichi told Shiho? I...didn't want her to know about that. I shut the door behind me, and Kogorou snorted in his sleep.

It was best if I just kept these things to myself.

_**

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**_

Walking to school the next day had me biting back yawn after yawn. Shiho tapped me on the head, and asked me in a slightly amused tone, "Is that detective keeping you awake again? Kudou-kun has mentioned that he snores like a freight train..."

"Nah..." I said, "It's not Kogoro-occhan's fault. I've all but gotten used to it now."

"Perhaps Iggy-kun just continues doing day-time activities when he should be restoring his energy through sleep?" This almost smug statement came from Mitsuhiko, one of the three kids that made up the group called the Detective Boys.

"Maybe he ate too much?" Genta advised, the other male of that group, a portly boy. Who happened to be a bit...violent with his affections.

"It's not you Genta-kun..." Ayumi said, she's the only girl of the club. (discluding Shiho) Despite the fact that most everybody in our everyday lives knew about the fact that Shiho and I were really teenagers (including the mentioned Detective Boys) we still had to go to elementary school.

While most every one of the Black Organization was either dead or behind bars we couldn't take many chances, there could be someone just wanting to get revenge. One member we did know hadn't been captured was Vermouth as well as the mysterious member, Bourbon.

That also meant, that while Shinichi had returned to his normal self, he was still keeping a bit of a low profile on cases. Not to say he isn't SOLVING any cases, I don't think it's possible to keep him away from them to be honest with you.

It wasn't so bad, going to school. It also helped to make sure the kids didn't blab anything...there have been a few close calls, and I can't even imagine the things their parents could know, but they were pretty good about keeping the secret.

Still, you'd be surprised just how much it can start to wear on you after awhile. Being forced to act like a child is a bit degrading at times. That isn't even considering the fact that, as a child with a 'disability', I've been targeted by the bloody counselors in the place.

Because somehow being blind also makes you a blob of depression too.

Not only that, but it's a bit disappointing to keep my hands to myself. Oh, yeah, shut up. I'm not that much of a pervert but I'd still LIKE to hold my girlfriend's hand every now and again without hearing somebody go, "Awww, how cute…"

We walked down the street and the children continued to bicker mercilessly. I considered telling them that I'd come up with something to make sure we were late for class. (Something that would grate on everyone's nerves. Mitsuhiko was rather punctual, Ayumi didn't like conflict much, and Genta wasn't about to risk his lunch hour on detention for getting late) When I heard a warm chuckle over our heads. I blinked, tilting my head to one side and finding myself snorting.

"Oh, so you were too lazy to get up when I LEFT but now you're here." I commented dryly. Shinichi snickered, and knocked me on the top of my head with his knuckles. Something I find rather irritating about Shinichi is that he thinks it's amusing to remind me with little gestures like that, that he happens to be taller.

Psssh, that jerk. He's such a hypocrite. He HATED it when Hattori did things like that when he was stuck as Conan.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi squealed, causing Mitsuhiko, me, and Genta to simultaneously shush her. The girl whispered out a quick apology, and wandered over to where Shinichi was standing. The kids still called him Conan, maybe because it reminded them that he was still their friend no matter how tall he was now.

I hid my amusement as the kids swarmed around him. They wouldn't ever admit it in words, but they really looked up to him. Perhaps even more so, now that he was taller. They chattered at him excitedly as we walked down the street, and I heard Shiho chuckle under her breath.

"You're moving from Ran-oneesan's house?" Mitsuhiko asked, snapping my attention to the front.

"Eh? You didn't…" I trailed off, trying to dig through my brain. Oh, right, maybe he HAD mentioned as much. I must have just filed it away in my current exhaustion. Great. I felt my stomach heave, suddenly nervous.

Was Shinichi going to have me come with him.

I tried to play it off, and just look bored. Still, since Shiho touched the inside of my wrist I knew SHE could tell I was nervous. Which meant that freakishly observant captain detective over in the corner was bound to have me completely pegged. The downfalls of having a genius detective in your life. Feh.

"So don't go heading over to the agency after school." Shinichi told me in a rather amused tone. Bingo. I sighed irritably to myself, and shot him the most potent death-glare I could manage. Shinichi chuckled, telling me I was probably a few degree's off on my aim. But he probably got the gist. "You're going to have to check out my house, right?"

I snorted, "Get going kid, before you're late for class."

"Ahhh…" Shinichi said, "Speaking of which. See you guys later alright? Don't get your noses stuck in trouble and such."

With that he happily headed off to do what a teenaged kid his age was supposed to do. While I was shoved into the slavery of going to elementary school. I tried not to feel a random peg of jealousy, reminding myself that Shinichi was happy and that should be one of the only thing that mattered.

Yeah, too bad I'm not that sappy, ne?

"I'm sure that Kudou-kun is going to want you to live with him." Shiho said softly, and I found myself shaking my head slightly at her words. She sighed to herself, as if mildly irritated. "Wouldn't Fang-kun ask you to live with him were he to move? Ride-san? Your bond is similar to that, don't you think that would mean Kudou-kun would…"

"It's not him I'm worried about." I pointed out. "He's been going through loops and hoops ever since this Okiya crap. Apparently his parents didn't approve of his renting the house out to a random stranger that could have been part of the group trying to kill him. Go figure."

I sounded even more sarcastic than usual, an attempt to hide away the fact that I really was worried. Shiho chuckled in amusement, and I stopped, narrowing my eyes at her. I didn't need to explain my look, she only sighed. "Iggy-kun you must not know much about Kudou-kun's parents."

"Oh buzz off." I said, only half playful. I was suddenly aware of the fact that we'd been taking our sweet time getting to school, and the kids were not within earshot. "Come on, let's hurry up before the kids end up getting themselves tangled up in some ridiculous mess. I'm starting to think Shinichi's murder-magnitism is contagious."

* * *

If I was irritable before school, when Shinichi picked me up at the gates after school it was somehow worse. I thought I'd at LEAST get to walk with Shiho, but the kids dragged her off to do who knows what. So I was stuck along with my good ol' detective buddy.

Sheesh, it sounds like I hate Shinichi. Not the case, I just was a bit grumpy at not getting to hang around with my girlfriend. Plus a bit edgy over the living situation. I don't want to sound like a clingy wimp, but I kind of wanted to stick with my new friend you know?

"You do realize…" I said flatly when Shinichi opened up a gate. "That you're attempting to 'show' a blind-kid your house, don't you?"

"Completely." Shinichi replied, the smirk obvious even in his tone. I snorted to myself, but willingly entered the house. I don't have to see to kind of know my way around. Stepping into that place I knew instantly…

"A little big, don't you think?" I said, somehow I never pegged Shinichi to be the kind of guy that lived in such an open space. Too easy to get targeted, and he was just as paranoid as I was…if not more so. "Aren't you ever freaked out that somebody you sent to the klink is going to hide in one of the crannies in this big place?"

"Thanks Iggy, I can always count on you to make me feel secure." Shinichi said dryly. "Believe me, I'd know if somebody who wasn't supposed to be in here was. Call it detective's intuition if you will. Come on, and take off your shoes."

"Like you have to tell me." I said, sparking in irritation. "I'm not a child."

"No, but you're American." He retorted, sounding as if this was some joke. I snorted to myself and, after expressively NOT kicking my shoes off just to be a pain, I followed after him. He must have noticed as much, but he didn't say anything.

The tour was rather boring. (Again, can't see, what's the point?) But I followed without much to say. Shinichi seemed completely oblivious to my cloudy mood, which is just creepy. Oblivious Shinichi is weird. I almost like clever Shinichi better, and he tends to stick his nose in my business.

"What's up with you?" I finally asked, suddenly deciding to give some of my own deducing skills a try. Note, my deducing skills suck. There is, however, the random chance that something I jokingly says ends up being right. "You're acting weird."

"Weird how?" Shinichi said, clearly fighting back a smile. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Before I answer that question I'm going to ask you…" I said, my tone rather flat. "How would you react to a culprit saying that to you in the heat of the case?"

"Hmmm…dunno." Shinichi said after a moment. "Anyways, I'm not being weird. Don't know why you THINK I'm being weird."

"For a guy that spent half of his time in hiding as a seven-year old you sometimes REALLY suck at lying Shinichi." I pointed out flatly. I heard him snort, but before he could reply the front door banged very loudly. I stiffened, "Did you hear that?"

"No, I'm deaf." Shinichi replied flatly, still wanting to irritate me. I glared at him, and realized that he'd moved from his previous spot on me when he shouted down the stairs, "Ooooi! Kaa-san, you think you could be a little NICER to the door?"

"Your…mother?" I blinked, and almost as soon as these words left my mouth I heard a very happy woman call a greeting to Shinichi.

"Shin-chan! So Agasa-kun wasn't lying! You ARE all grown up again…awe, but you were sooo cute as Conan…" The woman trailed off, and suddenly I was lifted into the air. I yelped in shock, and heard Shinichi full out attempt to smother his laughter. And fail. Epically. "And this must be Iggy-chan!"

"Ch-chan?" I croaked, the woman was radiating happiness.

"Yukiko you should put the poor boy down, I think you might be giving him a heart attack." A very calm voice sounded behind the woman who was holding me captive. When I was placed on the ground I suppressed the urge to flee and hide behind Shinichi like the small child I appeared to be. Instead I dusted myself off and tried to regain what little dignity I still possessed.

"Iggy, these are my parents. Kudou Yusaku, my father, and Kudou Yukiko, my mother." Shinichi said, "This little punk here is Iggy. Don't let his looks fool you, he's got a temper fouler than Hattori's, without nearly as much usefulness on cases."

"Oh har-har, at least people don't fall dead at MY feet." I shot back scathingly. Shinichi snorted, and rubbed the top of my head a little harder than necessary. I felt a firm hand grasp mine, Yusaku's, and heard Shinichi refrain Yukiko from apparently taking a picture.

"But he's sooo cute…" Yukiko whispered. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"She wouldn't normally be treating you like this…" Yusaku said, sounding almost amused. "But we've already got most of the paperwork lined up to get you adopted, so she's already leaped into the shoes of being your mother."

"H-heh?" I said, blinking in surprise.

"Shinichi…" Yusaku said slowly. Shinichi let out something very similar to a nervous laugh, taking a step back behind me. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Ah, but that's sweet! A surprise!" Yukiko said, "Shin-chan already said you two were like brothers. So I thought that it would just be perfect if we could make it official."

"I know you've hardly met us, I'm sure this must come as a shock to you." Yusaku stated calmly. I was still blinking in surprise, though shooting Shinichi a narrowed-eyed glare every five seconds as well. At least, in his direction anyways. "He should have at LEAST brought it up…"

"Slipped my mind." Shinichi replied calmly, and I wondered if that actually was the case. Something I filed away in my new deduction drawer. Something WAS up with Shinichi. And I was going to find out exactly what.

"Of course we aren't forcing you into it…" Yukiko said, placing a hand on my head. I blinked, and found myself nearly speechless.

You know, one of the downfalls of being in a Flock is that you don't have a mother, you don't have a father. I had Max, sure, she kind of fell under mother/older sister I guess. But…I don't know, something has always…made me want a mother and father.

Trying not to sound desperate, I mumbled, "S-sure."

Gah, I'm sure that my cheeks were red. Yukiko giggled, and pulled me into a hug. Suddenly this woman that I just met a few seconds earlier was my mother. I smirked to myself, suddenly realizing the irony of that. It was very much how I became Shinichi's brother, just in a few short moments I went from acquaintance to family member.

At least…things were beginning to look up.

**

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**

Storm clouds roiled overhead as the man named Aiden ducked into the small café'. The place reeked, and he could only imagine why. It was run-down, hardly fit to pass any sort of food inspection. He sat down at the bar, next to a man in a long trench-coat. There was only one person behind the counter, and she was ignoring the man as if he didn't exist. She took a long drag on her cigarette, and turned away.

The man twitched, glancing at the person he had come to meet. "You said…that…that something has changed."

"Indeed." The man in the coat said, "Did you know that Jeb was killed?"

"W-what!" Aiden choked out, eyes stretching wide. "H-how?"

"He tried to mess with the Pandora Gem." The mysterious man rasped. Aiden stiffened, suddenly it seemed as if the only sound that could be heard in the whole place was the pouring of the rain. Feeling ill, Aiden glanced out the window.

Damn, Jeb was an important part of their plan. Part of his job was to insure that Ride thought she was helping the world when she was really helping them. Now the girl was free to save the world as she was 'prophesized' to. Unnerved, Aiden glanced over at the man.

"So now there's no hope." Aiden said, "Ride will never listen to a stranger. We're screwed."

"Perhaps not…" The man in the trenchcoat said. He smiled, flashing white teeth in Aiden's direction. "Jeb isn't the only interesting news I have. We've discovered something else. Something…rather interesting…"

Aiden swallowed as that man looked up. All he could see were piercing eyes from that hooded cloak, and he almost felt afraid of those eyes. Still, he somehow held his ground.

"There is…a catalyst."

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_**FWA!**_

_**And the first chapter is done!**_

**_I'm excited now :3_**

**_Reviews are loved. Hope you guys are going to read this one too_**

**_Also, I hope I don't disappoint ^^_**


	2. A Pleasant Afternoon

_Disclaimer:_

_Blah, they aren't mine. Sometimes I forget Iggy isn't though, hehehe…_

_**Ack, I'm sorry for the wait guys!**_

_**I won't lie, it's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm in college now :P**_

_**-points- FCOTF, Mysste, Johto…I've got three sites that I feel obligated to keep up on. Gomen, gomen folks, as my muse has been diverted to them quite a bit.**_

_**TT_TT Doesn't help that I haven't seen a DC episode in three weeks. –sob-**_

_**Seriously, why the heck doesn't my bandwidth work ONLY for DC? I can watch whole bloody movies of other crap, but for some reason the internet here hates Detective Conan. It's so unfair.**_

_**Well I'm done ranting. X3**_

_**I answered all of your reviews but it deleted them TT_TT**_

_**I noticed all of you, Aleathiel Elendil, Em Phantom, Pally, SwitchGun and Pres1111 thank you so much for your reviews. Also, I might have pulled interesting things from some of your reviews. Sorry that I didn't individually thank you for taking the time to review this time around, my computer is being a butt-face but I'll do it next time for sure I promise you all that much kk?**_

_**Chapter, for you, huzzah. **_

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_Chapter Two- A Pleasant Afternoon_

The following few days were kind of hectic. Moving from the agency was way more difficult than we'd expected, both physically and mentally. Shinichi could complain that the little place was too small, and that he was sick of Kogoro, but I knew it was a lie. The agency…was home.

Still, the tradeoff wasn't so bad, and I promised myself that I'd regularly visit both Kogoro and Ran. After all, they HAD taken care of me, in their own ways. Even Kogoro. Heh, I daresay that he was a little upset to see us go, even Shinichi. Though he kept muttering to himself about what a relief it would be to get rid of those 'damned freeloaders' I also overheard him sighing about how it was going to be too bloody quiet to think straight.

In his own way, he really does care.

Still, I can't say that I'm disappointed in the change. I'll miss Kogoro and Ran but…I get my own set of parents. The thought is rather lifting, and it wasn't until then that I realized I was kind of jealous at Max before…she had her mother after all.

Well, now there wasn't any reason to be jealous.

Plus I lived RIGHT NEXT DOOR to my girlfriend. Which is totally awesome. I get to spend more time with the girl I happen to rather take an interest in, how cool is that? Really, the perks of living in that big place were quite a lot.

Though, now I know anybody who knows me personally would look at me oddly…kinda miss the closeness of the agency. There was a time in my life when being in small spaces like that would make me feel claustrophobic and over paranoid, now it was the opposite. Being in spacious areas, empty hallways, made me feel as if somebody was creeping up behind me or something.

Ugh, not much I can do about it though I suppose. I knew I'd have myself sorted out soon enough. I yawned, stepping out of the spacious bedroom that had once been one of the three (seriously three? Why would someone need three?) studies in the house before being converted into a place for me. (Again, three? And that's not including the ridiculous library either folks…)

Still hadn't been sleeping all that well. Part of me was almost certain I never would be able to. I stumbled along the hall, feeling my way around the still unfamiliar place. (I'm notoriously clumsy when I'm half asleep, go figure. Doesn't help not being able to see you know…)

I could smell food. The thought had me practically leaping at the kitchen. I was still eating like a horse, bird-kid thing. As I entered the room I noticed that Shinichi was, as he had been doing rather consistently as of late, off in la-la land.

We were the only people in the house, as Yukiko and Yusako had to return to their respectable jobs. Not until I'd been mercilessly dragged into a room and attacked about all the things I liked and didn't like though. Holy cats. And the appalled way they reacted to the fact that Shinichi hadn't forced me to read any mystery novels had resulted in my poor iPod being over-run by every who-dunnit book that ever existed.

Shinichi didn't make any reaction as I made myself several pieces of toast (seriously, they bought me like five toasters to use at once because I eat so much. How nice of them right?) and I sat down next to him and he still didn't make any comment. He was so lost in thought that I seriously think he hadn't even noticed me being in the room.

And dude that's SAYING something with Shinichi. He's ALWAYS observant. Like, half of him is always on hyper-alert, ready for anything at all times. After what we've been through you can't exactly blame a guy for being like that. I flicked a piece of toast at him, and knew by his irritated grunt that I hit a bulls-eye.

"Wonder what would happen to somebody if they were staring out into space and a fly landed on their eyeball." I commented wryly. Shinichi snorted at me, probably more irritated at having been caught than the actual comment itself.

"It's freaky that you can do that." Shinichi finally muttered.

"And it's freaky that you can figure out what someone's thinking just by the pattern of dust on their shoes." I retorted.

"When have I ever done that?" Shinichi asked, probably arching an eyebrow at the comment. I shrugged my shoulders and took a monstrous bite of my toast. "I don't think it's possible to tell what someone has on their mind just because of what they wear."

"Selling yourself short?" I commented in return, "You're practically a psychic."

"Am not." Shinichi sounded almost as if this was an insult. I waved off the scientific-minded detective before devouring another piece of toast. "There's nothing supernatural about it. I just piece together clues, and know what to look for."

"God help the police force if you ever turn to the dark side." I said.

"I doubt it." Shinichi replied with another snort. I knew it was irritating him, me comparing him to thinks he found rather undesirable.

"Aw, but I hear they have cool cars. And donuts." I smirked.

"Sounds nice, but I'm not about to randomly become a mass murderer for a corvette." Shinichi said flatly, though he paused and added in a musing tone, "Though I might knock a few people off for the donuts."

"Nobody can resist donuts." I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You two do realize that you're both weird don't you?" The voice in the doorway took us both by surprise. Ran, she sounded slightly amused, and I heard some soft snickering next to her. Shiho.

The two had started hanging around each other. It was a bit awkward between them at first, their personalities are pretty different but…they kind of started taking comfort in each other. When Ran lost Sonoko it was like losing a sister, she and Shiho had a lot in common when it came to that. They had someone they loved dearly snatched away by the organization.

"Haven't you heard of doorbells?" Shinichi said, sounding severely irritated. I myself was a little annoyed, only because I was just getting around to asking him why he'd been so deep in thought in the first place.

Curse me and my need to poke fun at people.

"Haven't YOU heard of a clock?" This wry reply came from Shiho, and I could hear her snort after Shinichi let out a startled yelp. "We ended up waiting at the Hakase's for you for a half hour you know, thought maybe you'd choked to death eating your cereal or something."

"Awww, you came to look after us." I said, Ran became a little quiet and embarrassed while Shiho just exuded an air of, 'well no duh you idiot' at me by heaving a rather bored sigh. I got out of my chair and ran up the stairs, since I was still in my pajamas.

Hey, late didn't mean I was going to school in my sleepwear.

By the time I got back downstairs Ran and Shinichi were shooting comments back and forth at each other. They walked out of the house without even acknowledging my presence, just continued bantering as we walked down the sidewalk.

"Something's up with Kudou-kun, ne?" Shiho commented, picking up on my thoughts easier than Shinichi would have. I sighed, rolling my eyes a little at the detective's back.

"Tell me about it. I've never seen…heh, anything. But he's never been that deep in thought, at least not around me. I can't help but wonder what's up with him." I sighed again and added in a bored tone, "It's not like I'd care that much, if I wasn't worried that whatever it is happens to be distracting him pretty badly."

"Hmmm…" Shiho mused, "And of course with Kudou-kun's track record being distracted is never a good thing."

"I can hear you two you know." Shinichi said wryly, stopping and adding in a flat tone, "If you want to talk about somebody it's a good idea to go back a few feet, you know, so that they're out of earshot of you. Just a bit of advice."

"Shinichi's distracted about something?" Ran asked, making Shinichi stiffen considerably. I felt a spike of panic from him, having attuned myself to his emotions since we'd been together for so long. Shiho muttered something under her breath, at the same time as I did.

Though mine was spoken louder, and with an evil little smirk, but heh. Shiho doesn't do devilish. She does calm-scientist that makes bird-kids go fluttery, but not devilish.

"Interesting…" We said at the same time. Ran made a small noise in agreement.

"Shi, ni, chi." Her tone was warning, and she drew his name out into separate parts, something she only did when she wanted something from him and was a little annoyed. Shinichi let out a nervous laugh, taking several steps away from us.

"It's nothing I promise guys." He said.

"Something you don't want Ran-chan to know." I taunted.

"Indeed." Shiho muttered.

"Shinichi…" Ran said, her tone warning.

"Hey guys, come on, stop giving me the third degree." Shinichi said, sounding a little panicked. Really, the guy could totally dish out the heat when he cornered people but he most certainly could not take it coming at him.

"Maybe it's best ya backed up and gave Kudou some space, I heard that cornered animals sometimes attack." The Kansei-ben accent had all of us blinking, and (even though I can't see, honestly, why do I bother with these petty gestures? Ah well, makes me look alert I suppose) turning our heads in the direction.

"Hattori-kun! Kazuha-chan!" Ran yelled, and she was suddenly squealing with Kazuha about life and girl stuff. Ah, something else I like about Shiho. As awesome as Ran is as an older sister figure, I really appreciate the fact that Shiho does NOT squeal.

"You're comparing ME to an animal." Shinichi said, his tone dry. Hattori staggered a bit, and then, inevitably, placed his elbow against my head and propped himself up on me as if I was some bloody countertop or something.

"Aw, Kudou, can't ya take a good come back with some honor fer once?" Hattori commented.

"Don't you guys have school today?" Kazuha asked.

"Nope, we were just going to do some hanging out today." Ran commented, "You two should tag along, ne, Iggy-kun? Ai-chan?"

"What, I don't get a say?" Shinichi muttered, sounding a little annoyed and wounded. Grumpy. I grinned at him to show that he wasn't nearly as left out as he thought, but Shiho kind of stomped the gesture by flatly saying;

"Kudou-kun you would do well to remember that there is no need for you to act like a child anymore." I snorted with laughter, slapping my hands over my mouth when I felt the intensity of Shinichi's potent glare in reply. Still, he knew that we were only teasing him.

"Lunch is on us if you come along." Shinichi said.

"Free eats, who can say no to that?" Hattori said with a snicker behind his reply. Kazuha and Ran promptly split away from our group, leaving us to be walking with Hattori. After a few feet or so the Osakan detective asked, "Oi, Kudou, what's up with ya?"

"Seriously?" Shinichi groaned, "I'm not that obvious."

"Yeah, actually you are. I'm blind remember?" I said in reply. Shiho made a sound of agreement and Hattori snickered a little as Shinichi groaned. "Seems you're an expert at unveiling the truth, but keeping it hidden is something you kinda suck at."

"I spent all my lying points with the Conan thing, it's not my fault." Shinichi said tiredly. It was true, in a way I think. Ever since he'd been back to normal he'd been honest as much as possible. ESPECIALLY with Ran, it kind of made his 'talent' for lying go down the drain. He was almost as bad as Hattori was at it by now. "What are you doing here anyway Hattori?"

"Oi, right." Hattori said, "Actually I had a message for shrimpy here."

"Oh nice, short comments, as if living as a child isn't hard enough." I commented in a tired tone. Hattori ignored the comment, crouching down so he was at my level. I snapped to attention, realizing that he wouldn't be doing that unless what he had to say was something important…and a little private.

"Fang's gonna be in town here…" Hattori said, I stiffened, thinking of the whole reason I'd come to Tokyo in the first place. Fang left the Flock before I did, breaking Max's heart into a million little pieces in the process. I'd been pissed, and had wandered around looking for him so I could attempt to kick his ass. Unfortunately that's how I ran into Gin and Vodka, which eventually brought me to the pathetically small size I am. "He…kinda wanted ta know if ya'd had any weird feelin's lately…"

"Weird feelings…" I echoed. I'd been on edge, but I could hardly tell if that was weird. I was always on edge now. Being chased by people wanting to experiment on you did that to your head sometimes, not to mention our little clash with the Japanese Mafia. There was the dreams but…again, the clash. Still, they HAD been happening a lot recently, "If he wants to know he'll have to come talk to me."

"Figured as much, I'll let 'im know when I see 'im next." Hattori said calmly, straightening. I could feel the curiosity bursting from over where Ran and Kazuha were. I myself was wondering why he was being so secretive about it.

"Ran-chan has contact with Max-chan." Shiho said softly, I blinked, remembering the little fact suddenly. "He didn't want her to hear, because she would have let her know that he happens to be floating around Tokyo again."

"I've been looking for an excuse to get the Flock to visit." I whispered wryly. Shiho chuckled under her breath. I was going to contact Max, something in my gut told me I should. Still, the message had my mind spinning a little.

"Where should we eat?" Kazuha asked.

"How about a picnic?" I said quickly, "Honestly, we can stop at a convenience store and get some bento boxes. Dude, I'm sorry, but taking Shinichi to a public place for lunch is a danger to the rest of society. I bet you eight-thousand yen that if we DO go somewhere out to eat we'll run into a dead body."

"He has a point." Hattori commented, much to Shinichi's obvious irritation. Everyone in the group echoed their agreement on the matter, save for Shinichi who was sputtering out protests that it was impossible for him to literally be attracting murders.

"Kudou-kun clearly you have Cabot Cove Syndrome, there's hardly any use denying it." Shiho's tone was very calm, and she spoke as if this were the most obvious thing in the entire universe. Actually that kind of made sense if you think about it. Dead bodies DID pop up everywhere the guy went.

"Guys it's not that I attract them, it's just that they happen around me is all." Shinichi said, probably knowing how lame the comment sounded on his own. I snorted a bit at him.

"Face it Shinichi, you walk into a place and something about you makes other people want to kill each other. You've got the Grim Reaper hanging around behind your shoulder or something equally disturbing and creepy." I said.

"Nothing to be alarmed about." Shiho said calmly.

"Everyone knows about it by now." Kazuha agreed.

"We're startin' ta get used to it by now." Hattori added.

"We all still love you Shinichi." Ran said. Shinichi moaned.

"Why does the trend seem to be ganging up on me for some reason or another today? I should have just stayed at home and avoided all of you people. You're all bad for my self-esteem." Shinichi groaned.

"It's better for you." I replied, "After all, with an ego your size a little self-loathing can only do some good."

Everyone laughed at that, except Shinichi of course, but he took in well enough. After all, it's natural for teasing to occur in a close relationship.

* * *

Sitting on the hill after lunch, and just enjoying the relatively nice weather, it kind of made me realize just how much I enjoy spending time with Shinichi, Ran, Kazuha and Hattori. I know Shiho felt the same as well. Because with them…

We felt like our true ages again.

I love the Detective Boys. I'd protect them as much as I could, and I'm hell bent on helping them to grow into capable people. If I can make sure that they're prepared for life, REAL life, not that crap people convince you life is, then I'll be doing it. I really do like those kids, don't get me wrong…but they're just that. Kids.

It's nice to be around my peers and be treated as such is all I'm saying. It's easy to forget that I happen to be about two feet shorter than most of them and such. It was good to be treated as if you were one of the club.

Almost as if he could sense this realization Hattori chose that time to use my head as a countertop prop for his bloody elbow. I glared daggers at him, but he continued in his conversation in a rather bored tone.

"Heiji…" Kazuha said in an exasperated tone, sounding somehow apologetic at the same time. Hattori's reply was to snicker. He knew it annoyed me, that's why he was doing it. Pain in the butt Osakan. I'd like him to shrink, just once, so he could figure out how utterly IRRITATING it is to be reminded of it.

"Hattori-kun." Shiho said, her tone rather deadly, "I advise you get your elbow off of my boyfriend before I slip something life threatening into your drink."

There was a moment of silence after this, I was trying hard not to laugh as Hattori carefully removed his elbow and dusted the top of my head off. Which made me lose it and start snickering behind my fingers. Ran was chuckling with amusement and even Kazuha was laughing a little after that.

"Serves you right Hattori." Shinichi said calmly, since the Osakan had apparently looked to him for some kind of support.

"How long are you two staying in Tokyo anyway?" I asked, deciding to get Hattori out of his situation. His teasing was all in good fun I knew, it wasn't like he'd actually laugh at me for being stuck as a kid for the second time in my life.

"Not long, a few days. Though we came ta tell ya that ya're all gonna come and visit in a couple o' weeks." Hattori said, sounding rather stubborn. "Iggy-kun hasn't gotten ta see Osaka yet, er…hasn't gone there yet."

"Nice catch." I said sarcastically, giving him a hard time for the small slip-up. Really I don't give a crap if people say I have or haven't seen something. In fact it's kind of fun when they do because I can make them uncomfortable by saying something sarcastic in return.

Hehehe…

"Where are you staying?" Ran asked.

"We got a nice hotel." Kazuha said, "Heiji saved up for it, it was so nice of him. He got us a suite and everything."

"US a suite?" Shinichi and I both said at the same time, an equal tone of mischief in our voices.

"There's separate beds, I'm not a pervert." Hattori said flatly in reply, though I could tell even by the sound of his voice, and Shiho's quiet amused laughter, that he was blushing over that. Kazuha didn't say anything, just squirmed a little. With a wicked tone in his voice Hattori said, "However…"

"Heiji!" Kazuha shrieked, tossing something at him. He leaped up and tackled her, standing up while hauling a rather squealy Kazuha up in the air.

"Don't you ever toss me randomly over your shoulder, you hear me?" Shiho muttered darkly.

"I won't, but we really should try flying again sometime soon." I replied with a smirk. She squeezed my hand in return, and I turned my attention back to the couple that seemed to be having a rather interesting moment.

"Heiji, put me DOWN!" Kazuha squealed, but she had laughter in her voice.

"You better do as she says before some random passerby thinks you're doing something disrespectful." Shinichi said, sounding slightly amused. Heiji only snorted and shifted his weight, probably to better balance the girl.

"Stop squirmin' so much Kazuha. Ya aint heavy or anythin' but it's hard ta keep mah balance when-" Hattori broke off as he suddenly heavily landed on the ground. The two of them rolled down the hill. Ran was laughing so hard that she seemed to be having trouble breathing, and I'm pretty sure she was leaning up against Shinichi. Even Shiho's chuckles were a little louder. I was snorting with laughter too, even more so when I heard the two continue their little tussle at the bottom of the hill.

"Heiji! You could have killed us!" Kazuha yelled.

"Well if ya woulda paid attention and stopped wigglin' around like a giant bug-" Hattori broke off after a heavy thwack. Kazuha ran away and I couldn't help but notice that her footsteps were rather uneven. She'd thrown one of her shoes at him. "Oi! What the heck, ya etting' all violent an' throwin' ya clothin' at me! Save that for the hotel room!"

"HEIJI!" Kazuha said in a rather appalled voice. She must have stopped running around after that because Hattori suddenly let out a triumphant sound and ended up catching her because she was squealing for him to let go again.

"Get a room you two." Shinichi said flatly, but there was a twinge of amusement in his tone.

"They already have one remember?" I pointed out. Shinichi chuckled and I leaned back against Shiho. It was nice to be with the people you loved sometimes, even if most of them were a little crazy. Really, I was glad we picked this for a dinner.

It's nice to know everything is going well, you know?

**

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_**Awww X3**_

_**I love lovey-dovey moments **_

_**Sorry it's kind of a short and pointless chapter **_

_**Just catching up with people mostly. And teasing Shinichi, heheh…**_

_**Reviews are still loved though.**_


	3. Baby Blues

_Disclaimer:_

_I own nothing. But your soul. -cackle-_

_**X3**_

_**Well this is going to be a pretty pointless chapter too**_

_**Mostly one that's a little on the fluffy side**_

_**My apologies X3**_

_**Buuut, I hope you like it. This random idea hit me and I just HAD to do it for a fic…**_

_**-cackle- So much fun :P**_

_**Anyways…**_

_**This is actually a gift. -gasp- That's right, a gift folks. For a good friend of mine who's birthday is coming up. I know I said I'd acknowledge your reviews, and I love them very much I really do, but today this space is going to be taken for one thing alone folks, (besides my ranting X3)**_

_**HAPPY **_

_**BIRTHDAY**_

_**PALLY! **_

_**Yeah, that's right. I saw the notice on DA.**_

_**Thanks for reading, reviewing, giving me fanart, working on an AMV for it, and just all around morphing into one of my bestest buddies. I lurve the snot out of you kid. This chapter is YOURS. I hope you like it. :3**_

_**It's a case chapter of sorts X3**_

_**

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**_

_Chapter Three- Baby Blues_

"So…where's Kudou?" Hattori asked the question across from me. We were the only two in the house, I having stayed behind because school for the elementary students wasn't in session today.

"He's at school." I said, sticking some eggs in my mouth. Hattori stayed silent for a few moments before I got up and got him a plate of the stuff too. We ate in something close to awkward silence. I hadn't realized that…well, the only time I'd been around Hattori was with Shinichi. I mean, there was the oddball times he saved my butt, but you know, other than THAT.

"Ah…soo…whatchya usually do for fun?" Hattori asked.

"Nothing that would interest you much." I said, usually I spent days like this with Shiho, but I couldn't just ditch Hattori for my girlfriend. I mean, I'd PREFER to be with my girlfriend, but I like to think that I'm not a freaking jerk.

Still, I was seriously beginning to just tell him that we'd only be able to interact with other people to make things INTERESTING. I didn't know what to say. I scrambled through my brain, trying to think of some conversation starter.

"Uh…where's Kazuha?" I asked.

"She wen' shoppin' or somethin'. I guess I kinda assumed she went with the Neechan's but I was wrong." Hattori said, sounding a little annoyed. I smiled, so HE would rather be with his girlfriend too. I hopped out of my chair.

"Well come on, we better attempt to find her ne? So she's not wandering all alone around Tokyo. That's never fun." I pointed out. Hattori seemed glad that we had some kind of course of action. At least with a goal in sight we weren't in awkward silence.

"It'll be good ta get outa this stuffy place." Hattori said, practically leaping to grab his coat. I felt a slight twinge of amusement as I walked to the door. Hattori was right behind me as we walked through the house.

"Do you have any idea where she might have go-" As I was speaking I'd been opening the door. I broke off immediately as Hattori suddenly lifted me into the air. I felt my eyes widen, and instant irritation flooded through me. Do NOT pick me up people. I hate being small enough, I don't need to suffer such indignities like being treated like a freaking doll.

"What the HECK Hattori." I grunted. The Osakan detective didn't answer, just set me down behind him, away from the door. "What is it? Something dangerous?"

Whatever it was, it suddenly gurgled at me. I stiffened and Hattori bent over to pick it up. He straightened rather slowly, and very slowly, in a rather appalled tone of voice, he said, "It's…ah…it's a baby."

I choked.

"What!" I said.

"A baby, ya know, smaller version o' human bein's." Hattori said in a flat tone. I scowled, giving him the most potent glare I could manage without catching the innocent infant he was supposedly holding in the crossfire.

"You KNOW what I meant. Where…where did it come from?" I said.

"Well when two people love each other very very much…" Hattori said.

"Hatttori!" I snapped, "Seriously! Why the heck is there a kid on…on our front step?"

Before the Osakan had a chance of replying the baby, who (okay, I'll admit it) must have picked up on my harsh tone of voice, suddenly started wailing. SCREAMING. I jammed my fingers into my sensitive ears, and all but felt Hattori wince.

It continued like that for several moments before I felt inclined to yell, "Do something baka!"

"What, exactly!" Hattori retorted. "I don' know what ta do with it."

"Make it stop crying. Rock it, bounce it, SOMETHING!" I snapped in reply. Good god, why did people like kids? They smelled like poop, and obviously wanted to test out whether or not blind bird kids could have their eardrums popped by mere voice alone.

"Here's an idea, maybe it'll stop cryin' if ya shut up!" Hattori snapped in response. I glared, and I'm pretty sure he glared back. The baby continued wailing like some kind of siren in the background. Finally I broke and turned my head away.

Hattori started bouncing up and down, "Alright kid, come on, jus' kinda…quiet down or somethin'?" Hattori paused, the crying continued. "Come on kid, PLEASE be quiet. What am I s'posed ta do?"

There was a sudden belching sound that sounded rather wet. Blessed silence filled the room for a few moments before I heard Hattori let out a rather slow and very measured sigh. Me? I clapped my hands over my mouth, guessing what exactly had 'happened' and was attempting not to laugh TOO hard at poor Hattori.

"It…jus'…threw up…on…my face." Hattori growled.

The baby whimpered, and we both froze. Terrified that what we next said or did would send another volley of screeches our way. After a moment, I stepped back in the house, and keeping my voice very low I said, "We should probably not stand outside, the neighbors will think we're child abusers."

"Please for the love o' Kami do not couple us together like that." Hattori said with a groan, "Makes us seem gay."

"You said it, not me." I pointed out. Hattori snorted with irritation and we retreated inside. The Osakan detective was quick to put the baby on the couch and then just stand next to me as we both awkwardly wondered what we should do.

"Uh…so…" I said.

"Did someone want Kudou ta have a kid or somethin'?" Hattori snorted. "Maybe it's his illegitimate child or somethin', ooo, Nee-chan won' be happy about that."

"I doubt that." I said, rolling my eyes. "Shinichi's practically convinced that the whole universe revolves around Ran, 'sides, this kid can't be all that old right?"

"Seven…maybe eight months." Hattori mused.

"Yeah, I doubt it's his kid." I said. The baby laughed, kicking it's feet so that the diaper it was wearing made crinkling noises. I blinked a bit, listening to it as it started cooing to itself. Were all people insane starting out or something? Had Angel been like that? I tried to remember and failed rather epically. "It's talking to itself…"

Suddenly it started whimpering.

"Keep ya mouth shut!" Hattori hissed at me.

"What?" I shot in reply.

"Clearly it doesn't like the way ya talk, everytime ya do ya make it start cryin'!" He hissed. I gaped at him, thoroughly offended. My voice did NOT make small children cry, the jerk.

"And who says it had anything to do with me?" I hissed, "Maybe it saw your face. After all, it was upsetting enough to make him through up. I'm lucky I'm blind, poor kid, it has to suffer."

"Oh ya little brat…" Hattori hissed in response, and then it started crying. We both froze, having been locked in our little war and ignoring the very thing we were warring about because of it. I winced, taking several steps back the same time Hattori did. "Your turn."

"Wha?" I glared, but then hesitantly stepped forward. I didn't have the slightest clue what the heck I was doing. I held my hands up in front of me, a sign of surrender? I don't know, I hoped that maybe the kid would see that I meant no harm I guess. "Um…kay…baby, please be quiet now…"

It continued to cry.

"Ya doin' great NOW kid, pick it up." Hattori said, as if he actually KNEW what we were supposed to do and he was testing me. I shot him the dirtiest 'look' a blind kid could possibly manage before putting my hands under the baby's armpits.

I lifted it up, holding it in front of me. It was like I flipped some kind of switch. It stopped crying and started giggling instead. I blinked in bewilderment.

"Oh ya gotta be kiddin' me!" Hattori groaned, "How come it was so easy for ya!"

"I…don't know…" I said softly. The baby giggled and I moved to set it down but as I did it started whimpering. I lifted it up again and then said, in a voice that was irritatingly similar to a child of the age I looked, "Hattoooorrriiii…I can't put it down…"

"That's what ya get fer bein' the baby whisperer." Hattori snorted with laughter as I attempted to put it down again, but it started screaming. I winced, holding it up. My arms were getting tired holding it in front of me like that, just letting it dangle there.

"I can't continue to hold you for the rest of my life you know." I told it sternly. "So you have to let me put you down eventually."

I leaned forward to place it back on the couch and it fullout shrieked. I winced, quickly straightening. By now Hattori was completely unhelpful and laughing so hard that he was doubled over behind me. I grimaced, trying to figure out how to hold it that would be easier on me.

I cautiously pulled it closer to my chest, afraid that I might drop the thing any moment. As soon as it was within reach it grabbed a fistful of my hair. I winced, and the little thing grabbed another fistful with it's OTHER hand. I froze.

"Uh…Hattori…" I said.

"Aw, look your makin' it happy." Hattori said, I winced as the baby pulled hard on my hair, giggling the whole time. It was around this time when I noticed that…something was beginning to smell rather foul. I pulled the kid away from me, holding it it's armpits again. "What's the problem, it couldn'ta hurt that…"

He trailed off. I held the baby out to him. "Your turn."

"Oh, nuh-uh kid, not how things work. Your still holdin' it." Hattori said, pushing the baby and it's rather foul smelling diaper my way. I pushed t back toward Hattori, there was no way in hell that I was changing a diaper.

"I can't do it, Heiji-niichan." I said with my most charming of voices, "After all, I'm just a kid."

"Not gonna work with me dude." Hattori said, pushing the baby back my way. "Still in the middle of your turn, Hattori Heiji does not do dirty diapers."

"How can I change a diaper if I'm blind?" I retorted.

"That's for ya ta figure out all on your own while I run like hell away from Kudou's house." Hattori responded cheerfully, still, I caught him off guard and plopped the baby in his lap. Then, like the spineless wimp that I am, I ran. "Oi! Wa, YA CAN'T DO THAT!"

The baby started crying, Hattori started chasing me with the poor kid still in his arms. We were running around the house like crazy…it was all rather hectic. I jumped up on the couch and made it fall over. Hattori nearly dropped the kid on my head. I sent a cabinet crashing to the ground, and through this all we were both shouting over the noise of the baby's crying. Amidst this chaos the door was thrown open with a bang. We froze, me midstep and Hattori with a baby dangling in front of him (right over my head). I could feel the irritation burning from the doorway.

"Do you have ANY idea how LOUD you're being?" Shiho said. She sounded rather unhappy, and I suddenly remembered that I kiiiiiinda forgot to cancel our planned date. Which would explain a VERY cranky girlfriend rather quickly. "If I didn't think Kudou-kun would end up footing the bill I'd call a disturbance report on you."

"Oh…ah, high little nee-chan." Hattori said. I straightened, rubbing the back of my head.

"I…uh, forgot to tell you that I couldn't make it…" I said, and as I said this the baby was shoved in my arms. I scrambled to catch it before the poor thing fell on the ground, and shot Hattori a dirty look. That was a cheap trick.

"What's this?" Shiho said, coming closer to me. I laughed a little nervously as she said, "Why do you have a baby? Is it Hattori-kun's?"

"Wh-what!" Hattori gagged.

"Ah, no, you see we opened the door and…" I blinked as Shiho pulled the baby gently away. Even so, it started crying. Calmly she pushed it back in my arms, situating my arms so that they could hold the baby in a more comfortable position.

"Hold it like this…" Shiho said softly. I blushed, and Hattori groaned and made a gagging noise. "That being said…do you have anything we can use as a diaper."

"Uh…" I trailed off as Shiho calmly said.

"Hattori-kun, get one of Kudou-kun's shirt's from upstairs. That will have to do for the time being. Iggy, you go and sit with the baby on the couch. I don't want to make it cry anymore than I have to. Hattori-kun, since you were the one bordering on child-abuse while chasing my boyfriend around you'll change the diaper." Shiho said, Hattori started to protest and she added darkly, "Of course I could always just make you take of YOUR shirt for the new diaper…"

"Right, I'll be gettin' that shirt of Kudou's." Hattori laughed nervously, before leaping up the stairs. An unfortunate shirt of Shinichi's, a few tears, and a gagging Osakan later and the infant was newly diapered…and had a discovered gender.

"Why would someone just dump her on the doorstep, that's my question." Shiho said as Hattori mumbled something about being scarred for life or something like that. I was sitting with the baby on my lap. She was almost lethargic, her little head was leaned against my chest and she kept sighing in a contended way every now and then…it was kind of cute.

"Don't know, someone wanted the kid to be adopted out?" I said.

"Doubt it," Hattori said, "The thing were people jus' leave kids on doorsteps doesn't really happen much in real life, and why would they leave some kid at a house with just a teenager and his little brother?"

"That's assuming they knew who lived here though." Shiho said very softly.

"Knew who lived here!" Hattori exclaimed. The baby jerked, his outburst having startled her from her semi-asleep state. Hattori hardly noticed as he quickly stood up and went outside. I cautiously moved to pick the baby up, letting her head rest against my shoulder, and trailed after him.

"Aha! This wasn't there before…how did I miss it. I blame the kid…" Hattori said, his tone became rather serious as he added, "Blood."

"Eh?" I blinked, the baby sighed. "Blood?"

"It certainly looks that way." Shiho said softly, "Do you think somebody was injured, and in a panic left the baby here after recognizing the name of a once famous detective? But Kudou-kun hasn't gone back into the media that much yet…"

"And it's a big shot in the dark…for your kid. Who would risk gettin' the kid to the wrong place?" Hattori added.

"Maybe the danger was bigger than the risk of leaving the baby at the wrong house." I said, my arms protectively wrapping around the baby. She cooed a little as I did this, and we were silent for a few moments.

"We gotta call the police and try an' start lookin' for the kid's mother." Hattori said.

"She needs a name." I said, feeling my cheeks heat up when both Shiho and Hattori turned to look at me. I shifted nervously from foot to foot. "We can't keep calling her 'it' and 'kid' all the time. She needs a name…"

They stared at me.

"Uh..well…" Hattori said after a moment. "How about…uh…"

"Mi." Shiho said, "It's simple, and it's easy to remember."

"Mi." I said, smiling and cradling the little girl. She really was sweet…I felt a surge of anger toward the people that had forced her to end up in the situation she was in now. I'd kick their butts for putting this poor baby in harm's way, so help me…

"Is it…at all possible…that you could tell me..." Shinichi's voice startled us all. I heard Ran make a small noise of surprise, so she was clearly here as well. I heard Kazuha too, she squealed something about 'kawaii' or something. Shinichi continued, his tone filled with irritation. "What exactly you're doing…with a baby…that is wearing one of my favorite shirts…as a diaper."

"Uh…" We all said at once.

* * *

After explaining everything to Shinichi, he was pretty quiet. He and Hattori were both in detective mode, thinking hard and conversing with each other about what seemed to be crucial parts of this case. Ran was in front of me, playing peek-a-boo with Mi.

Both Kazuha and Ran were kind of making me uncomfortable. They followed me everywhere because…well, I was holding Mi. And I'd pass her off to one of them, as cute as Mi was she was still kind of heavy and I felt like I was going to drop her at any moment, but every time I even tried she'd start to cry.

"And there wasn't anything weird on her diaper or anything?" Shinichi asked after a moment. "A code, some kind of hint…anything?"

"Maybe they just wanted a safe place for their baby…" Ran said softly, "Maybe there isn't a code or something Shinichi."

"They might not have had the time. If they had to put the baby at your doorstep, and leave and make sure that whoever was chasing them didn't see them dropping the baby off…" Shiho said, she trailed off near the end.

"Damn…" Shinichi hissed. "There has to be some kind of clue…"

"An eyewitness maybe? A someone runnin' around with a baby lookin' upset or panicked is bound ta draw some attention." Hattori said. The two detectives left without a word, only letting me know that I should follow when they poked their heads back in the door.

"Iggy, come on." Shinichi said, sounding annoyed.

"We gotta get movin'." Hattori said.

"Like I'm a mind reader or something." I grumbled, getting up and following the two out of the house. Kazuha, Ran, and Shiho trailed after me.

After about the fifteenth person we talked to I began to lose track. I was getting tired, and I couldn't hand Mi off to anyone because she'd start crying. I don't know what the kid liked about me so much. Maybe she knew that it put me in an awkward situation.

Or maybe Hattori scarred her for life. Who knew.

"Have ya seen this baby before…" Hattori said, speaking in a manner that suggested he was getting tired of this too. Yeah, HE was getting tired. I'M the one carting a little kid around. Ungrateful Osakan detective…

Holy crap I sound like an exhausted mother…

I groaned, realizing that I was on the verge of either passing out or dropping the baby pretty quick when Shinichi said we should sit down. We walked over to a bench and I all but collapsed on top of the thing. Seriously, there's a reason little kids don't carry babies.

Suddenly, and without warning, Shinichi suddenly got incredibly close to Mi. She didn't seem to mind, she just giggled as if he was playing, but I automatically jerked back. "Shinichi, what the-"

"Cat hair…" Shinichi said.

"Eh?" Hattori blinked.

"It's cat hair…" Shinichi muttered, "It's on the baby's clothes."

"So what, the person has a cat?" I said, irritated, "It's kind of irrelevant Shinichi."

"Most people with babies don't own cats…" Kazuha said. I blinked, and everyone glanced in her direction. "They've been known to accidentally kill children while sleeping on top of them. Most people with a baby's don't keep cats, or at least don't keep them in the same room as the kid."

"Oh hey…" A woman said, coming closer to us. I blinked as she said warmly, "It's little Maki-chan…are you babysitting for Noaki-san?"

We all just kind of blanched for a bit.

"You know…Naoki-san?" Shinichi said after many of us just sputtered like idiots for a few seconds. His tone was rather calm, and I heard Ran let out a small sound of protest as he added, "She had us look after Maki-chan, but it seems we can't get ahold of her and she only ever came to the daycare to drop Maki-chan off…you wouldn't happen to know where she lives would you?"

"Ah, no I'm sorry." The woman blinked, "Noaki-san has been living out of a hotel for several weeks now…I'm surprised she's hired a babysitter, but she's always cared more about Maki-chan than herself…"

"Does she keep cats?" Ran asked. Woo, way to be on the ball. I could tell that Shinichi was impressed with her for bringing the question up.

"No, the hotel doesn't let you have pets…" The woman mused. "Though the gentlemen she was painting for works at a Pet Shop…why?"

"Do you know which shop this is?" Shinichi asked quickly, latching onto our small clue like a leech or something similar. The woman seemed to think for a few moments and I cradled Mi…Maki, careful not to wake her up as I stood.

"The one near the end of the block here I think…" She hadn't finished before we were all heading in that direction. I felt a twinge of worry and excitement go through me. Shinichi seemed to think things were bad.

Shinichi stopped near the door, and we all leaned against it. We could hear a woman, though her words weren't easy to make out. She was hysterical, that's all I knew. Shinichi hissed through his teeth, and Hattori grunted.

"Trouble." I said, worried.

"No…" Ran said, "Listen…"

"You were WHAT!" The woman shrieked, suddenly the voice was rather clear as Shinichi had cracked the door open. "You just LEFT MY BABY ON A RANDOM DOORSTEP!"

"I was afraid the dog would get it!" The wail made us all blink, and then stare blankly.

"You've got to be kidding me." Shinichi said.

"It wasn't a kidnappin'." Hattori said flatly.

"It was a case of stupidity." Shiho said.

"You were running from a dog, and you just thought it would be good to leave my baby somewhere and NOT EVEN REMEMBER WHERE IT WAS!" The scream made us wince. Shinichi pushed the door open and gave a small cough.

Silence flooded the room before I was suddenly gathered into a woman's arms. She sobbed, "Oh my baby…thank you…where did you find her?"

"On our doorstep." I said.

"Oh, heheh…" The man muttered.

"If you're going to be taking care of someone's baby you shouldn't be so neglectful." Ran scolded. Getting close to the guy. Kazuha stepped up as well, the man cowered and whimpered muttering something about catching a dog and panicking at the last moment.

Seriously though, he just dumped the kid somewhere?

"Ya might wanna think about who ya hire for babysittin' next time." Hattori added. The woman muttered something in reply, before putting a hand on my head. I felt my cheeks heat up, and tried not to feel uncomfortable.

"Thank you for taking care of Maki for me…what's your name?"

"Kudou Iggy…" I muttered softly.

"Thank you, Kudou-kun." She said gently. She took Maki away, and the little baby squeaked a bit in protest. Naoki laughed, "It seems she likes her new niisan."

"If you ever need anyone to watch her I can." I offered softly. "We wouldn't ask for money, ne, Shinichi-niichan?"

"No. Not at all." Shinichi said. "I heard you were having trouble with your housing…I have plenty of money, if you need some help I'd be glad to give it to you."

"Wh…who are you people?"

Shinichi was about to say something when Kazuha, Ran, and Shiho all flatly stated, "A bunch of Detective Otaku's is all."

"Oi, hold on about that…" Hattori grumbled.

"What, it's not like we don't actually have talent…" Shinichi said irritably.

"Don't lump me in like I'm part of the creepy detective fanclub. I'm strictly a tag-along and nothing more." I said, sounding indignant. Naoki laughed, while the guy was even let out a sheepish chuckle. I was glad that nothing bad had happened. Sure there wasn't any big puzzle to figure out…

But sometimes it's better when life is alls well that ends well, ne?

**

* * *

**

_**Awww, wasn't that just ridiculously and pointlessly sweet? **_

_**X3 And some IggyShiho fluff for your souls**_

_**Happy Birthday Pally**_

_**Hope you liked it ^^**_


	4. Dreaming of What May Be

_Disclaimer;_

_They aren't mine. -moan- Why do you have to keep REMINDING me?_

_**Did you like the fluffy things?**_

_**How warm and fuzzy life was?**_

_**-cackles- Well you might want to read through it one more time..**_

_**Because we're buckling down and throwing some serious things your way.**_

_**Not CLIMAX serious.**_

_**I plan to make that a bit more epical than Blind Sided X3**_

_**Also we FINALLY leave Iggy's head alone for a bit XP**_

_**Aleathiel Elendil- Hahaha, I kind of wanted to show that side of him. In MR he is treated like the other younger kids, whereas Max and Fang take almost a parenting role, or at least the role of the older sibling. Even with Shinichi he's the young sibling. I'm bringing that side out of Iggy a lot in this fanfic, at least it's my goal, illustrated with both the baby and the Detective Boys. **_

_**Em Phantom- It was loads of fun. Originally it was Shinichi, but he doesn't usually panic with things and I thought it'd be nice for Hattori and Iggy to get some bonding time in. X3 Though this was a bit inspired by that episode where Shinichi/Conan had to watch the baby and was walking around with a rope tied to the kid's waste. That made me laugh so hard X3**_

_**Pally- So glad you enjoyed it kid. I worked hard on it. Yeah, I know it was a bit short, I had to wrap it up because I honestly had no idea where I was going with that random baby in the end. Hahaha, I thought a humorous ending would fit rather nicely, though for some reason Shinichi kept wanting to do Hattori things through the whole chapter and I'd erase things and be like, "What is WITH you…" X3 But we worked it out eventually I think. Only after a few moments of arguing. I was almost afraid I wouldn't get it up in time.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Chapter Four- Dreaming of What May Be_

Max ran down the sidewalk. White material fell thickly from the sky. Not snow, no, definitely not snow. It was ash. Ash that clogged her lungs up, made it hard to breathe. Her wings trailed against the ash covered ground behind her. Dead things, unusable things.

_Run, keep running._ Max thought, pushing herself forward. Even though the concrete tore into her bare feet relentlessly. Even though bloody footprints trailed after her. A beacon, she'd never be able to hide now. There was no escape.

Suddenly she burst into an intersection. Her muscle's coiled, and she instinctively hurled herself back away from the cars. It was only as she leaned against the cold metallic pole behind her, sucking in air from her desperate run, that she realized the cars weren't moving.

Not even idling. Like the strange and empty ash covered city around her they were cold. Dead. Broken. No people walked these streets. The only thing she COULD see besides herself was the flashing of the red light. It tinted the world around her, tainted it like blood with every dying flicker.

_Where are you?_ Max tried to gather her thoughts, to think of where she was. The signs…they were written in Japanese symbols. Why was she here though? The girl scrambled to organize her thoughts. The sound of boots against concrete behind her had her spinning around. Her wings scraped against the ground, sounding dried out…ruined.

"There are some things you can never flee from, Maximum Ride." The voice was cold, but she found herself reeling in confusion over it. That voice…she knew it. It was THE voice. Her Voice. Max pulled her cold fingers to her chest, her eyes narrowed.

"Who are you really?" She asked, but her words came out so strange. Croaking…almost as if from the throat of the dead. Max shuddered, but added, "What do you want, really?"

"To tell you that things are never as they seem…" The person stepped closer, and Max…Maximum Ride, couldn't help but shrink away. Her. She who could break a man's wrist with her fingers if she wanted. Yet this person inspired something deeper than any courage she'd ever had.

A primal fear that was uncontrollable. It seized her completely, had her body moving under instincts and not her logical mind. The person's fingers grabbed her chin, tilted her face up so that she was staring into…eyes that held nothing. They weren't colored at all. They were completely white, even whiter than the eyes of the blind.

There was nothing in those eyes. Nothing but a silent promise of death. Of failure.

"It's only fair to let you know..." The person breathed, their face moving closer to Max's. She shuddered to herself, feeling so utterly powerless. So vulnerable. She hated it. Instantly, as a person who looked after not only herself but other's…this feeling made her quake with more than fear inside. There was a deep rooted frustrated, and anger too. "…that sometimes the ones that hurt you the most…"

Suddenly they vanished. Max staggered, surprised and horrified to realize she'd been leaning towards the person. A sick feeling coiled around her stomach, but she had little time to reflect on this. Feathers started falling around her, with the ash. Max's eyes drifted up, and she stiffened as the voice whispered gently in her ear.

"...are the ones that are closest to you."

Max whirled, but before she had a chance to do anything the sound of feet against pavement struck her ears. She turned, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up with horror.

The Flock…not the Flock.

They were all in shadow, nothing on their faces was visible to her. Yet she knew them achingly well. Too well, there was no denying that it was them. There, that one was Nudge. And next to her with his head tipped at a creepy angle was Gazzy. Dylan was crouched next to them, what looked like tears streaming down his face. Angel was smiling, the only feature visible on her face, and it wasn't a pretty smile. Far from it. Fang was there, something silver glistened in his hands, he kept twirling it so that the red light reflected off of it. Then, behind him, was Iggy with something like blood dripping thickly from his hands.

They moved like puppets, marionettes. She realized as they stepped toward her that they were all crying, tears streaming down their faces. It wasn't just Dylan. And the little black bundle that suddenly stepped into view and tilted his eyes up and snarled at her…even his eyes had sadness.

"Guys…" Max whispered, backing up. "What…what's wrong?"

_Like puppets on a string, Max._ Her voice said. Fang suddenly lurched forward, and the knife he was holding was slashed at her throat…

**

* * *

**

"STOP!" Max shrieked, bursting from her dream. Nudge, in the bed next to hers, was startled out of her dead sleep and rolled off the edge of the bed. Angel sat up very quickly, sending Total almost flying acrossed the room. Max hardly noticed, she was gripping her chest feeling as if her heart was going to beat it's way out of it.

"Like, holy cow I thought something was happening for sure." Nudge said, looking around wildly. With their track record Max could hardly blame her. "Ohmygosh. Max did you have a bad dream? Ohmygosh, what do we do? Angel?"

Max did the comforting in the family, she wasn't the one to be comforted. She felt herself twitch a little inwardly, but forced herself to heave a soft sigh. "I'm fine Nudge, really, just a bit of a scare is all. It wasn't anything special."

Her stomach hardened into a ball at the thought. The dream had been terribly vivid. Terribly terribly vivid.

_Just remember Max._ Her voice chimed in, making the girl's shoulders tense up considerably. Her heart raced, but she tried to hide it by standing up and heading out into the hallway. _What you dream is what will be._

* * *

A hand on my shoulder jerked me rather violently from my sleep. I tensed up instantly, flew out of my bed with my fists flying. I made contact with something, and paused only after I heard a rather loud thud. I blinked, confusion swarming me.

"Barro…" Shinichi growled, his voice slightly muffled by his hands. I blinked, my hyper-alerted brain slowing as it caught up with the world. Shinichi had decided to wake me up, bad idea with the dreams I've been having lately. Not that I've warned him as much.

I sucker punched him in the face. Ouch.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning over the bed. Bird-kids can hit hard, quite honestly I'm surprised that he didn't end up being knocked out by it or something. Though I was thinking, because of the way that he was apparently holding his hands over his mouth, that he might have been bleeding.

"Fine." He grunted, sounding irritated but the annoyance was quickly fading form his tone as he added, "There was a phone call for you."

I blinked, fumbling the phone he put in my hands. He hurried off, most likely to clean up his bloody lip. I winced, and pulled the receiver to my ear. "Hello?"

"Nice, you just not a morning person or something?" Dylan's amused voice drifted to me over the other end of the line, sounding faintly amused though tense. "Punching them in the face? That's a bit extreme, remind me never to get you an alarm clock, you'd just break it…"

"Haha." I said dryly, biting back the urge to snap for the sake of the fact that it would only confirm Dylan's suspicion that I wasn't a morning person. I was normally fine, but as I mentioned earlier my dreams had me waking up in a rather keyed up state of mind. I felt a twinge of guilt, hoping that I hadn't gotten Shinichi too bad. "You calling me in the middle of the night for some important reason."

"Oh, right, timezones…" There was a quick laugh on the other end, Dylan seemed as if he was dodging my question. I opened my mouth to continue the conversation, thinking I should wrap it up as soon as possible. "Max had a dream last night."

The seriousness in his tone didn't stop my immediate and almost instinctual response. I rolled my eyes, well aware that Dylan couldn't see it anyways, but he'd certainly hear the sarcasm in my tone. "Right, let me just get out my pen and notepad and I'll try and figure out the psychological point hidden behind her dream."

"Seriously Iggy." Dylan said, his tone almost cold. I heard an irritated sound from the other end and blinked as Dylan added, "It sounds important…"

"Give me that." Max's voice suddenly became clear to me, filled with irritation. After a moment I heard her sigh and say softly, "Hey Iggy, sorry for waking you up."

"Eh, I don't get much sleep these days anyway." I said, not at all a lie. Not in the least, considering the plague of nightmares. There was a silent pause on the other end, and I wondered if she was psychoanalyzing the words I had just spoken, figuring out just what I meant.

"I had…an odd dream." Max said, I could hear the phone being gripped tightly in her hand. I blinked, swinging my feet so that they touched the ground. I felt a twinge of awkwardness flood through me as she continued, "It…it was…bad Iggy."

I wasn't the one she confided in. That was…well, Fang's job. I shut my eyes. I never was the wingman to Max, and I didn't think I could fit in that even at that point. Why call me? I couldn't help. I sighed, but didn't say anything else.

She called me because she couldn't bring herself to call Fang. Even though basically we'd both dumped our family on it's nose for a new life. In fact, in some ways I was worse. How selfish of me, leaving behind the people who I'd lived with because I liked a girl, because I had a brother in Shinichi.

So those words make things sound simple. Make everything I've worked for sound so petty and unimportant but…but…

I don't think like that, thankfully. It's more complicated than that. Than me just finding some random girl, than me trying to replace my family. I'm not, believe me, there's things I could never replace that the Flock gave me. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel guilt for changing my life.

It makes it even harder, considering Fang at least did what he did for the sake of the Flock, or so he believed anyways, and yet Max was still obviously not talking to him. I sighed to myself, unfortunately Max heard it.

"What?" She said, defensive, ready to fight me. She knew I was thinking it, probably because Fang wasn't far from her own thoughts. I leaned against the wall and shut my eyes.

"You know I'm honest, right Max?" I said quietly, "And I know you called me because you wanted advice…so I'm going to give it to you straight."

She was silent, she didn't reply, surely she knew what I was going to say. Or maybe this was a sign for me to take a hint, shut my big mouth before it bit me in the tail. Still, I continued, pressed onward because she NEEDED to hear this. At least from somebody.

"You don't want advice from me. You want it from Fang. I don't think I can give you the right ideas Max, so…why don't you just try to get ahold of him? I could give you Hattori's number. I can guarantee-…" I broke off, as there was an audible sound of the phone being shoved very forcefully into someone's hands. A moment later Dylan's voice drifted over to me.

"What'd you say?" He asked.

"Nothing nevermind." I sighed heavily, "So I suppose this is going to be dumped on me even though I honestly couldn't tell you what could or couldn't possibly help out in this situation."

"I know, I'm sorry." Dylan said quietly, "But she and I couldn't figure it out, who else is there?"

Was he seriously asking me that? I bit back the retort that rose up in my throat, only just barely. Of course Dylan wasn't as used to Fang as the rest of the Flock had been, he didn't quite understand that this sort of thing was FANG'S job, not mine, and not Dylan's.

"Hit me then." I said, with something like a resigned sigh. Dylan paused for a moment as though taking in my attitude toward this, but he seemed to push passed it at least long enough to decide that he'd tell me what was up even though I wasn't exactly in the mood to hear it.

It's not that I'm adamant against it. I could always talk to Shinichi after whatever he tells me, and try and hack it out with him. Plus I was wondering why we were talking about dreams in the first place. Dreams were dreams…right?

Hadn't Hattori just given me a message from Fang though? One that asked whether or not I was having odd dreams?

"Alright, so as far as what Max could tell me…" Dylan said, I blinked. Could tell him? What in the world did that mean exactly? What kind of dream was this, that would make it so hard for Max to tell people about them. "She was running from someone. She said she couldn't exactly tell who, in fact she couldn't seem to figure out if they were a guy or a girl even."

"A chasing dream?" I said, relaxing somewhat. Not so bad, right? Compared to dying every single night…but I shoved that aside, and calmly asked, "Isn't that supposed to be a way the brain shows anxiety? You run from something but you're running too slow?"

"Max didn't say something like that." Dylan said, I was suddenly wishing I hadn't pissed her off, this was almost awkward with just Dylan trying to tell me what Max had been dreaming, as if we were talking about something private of hers. "She said it was vivid though, she was barefoot and her feet hurt."

"Why wasn't she flying?" I said, okay, in all honesty I did say it to be a pain in the rear. I couldn't help it, it was a question that popped in my head. Sometimes I have trouble controlling myself and words pop out before I have a chance to make sure they're…appropriate? Hehehe…

"She said her wings were broken…or dead." Dylan said. I felt a strange chill creep up my spine for some reason. Okay, creepy and weird now. I was suddenly aware of just how alone I was in this big room of mine for some reason. I swallowed, thankfully it wasn't audibly. Dylan continued, "She said she came into this…big area or something. She said it was Tokyo, or she thinks it was. There was Japanese writing."

I blinked, "Oh…"

"We were in it…she got nervous when she started talking about that. She couldn't get much out more than the fact that apparently we were not happy, but we were advancing on her…or something like that. The person chasing her was talking to her, said that people closest to her would hurt her the most." Dylan said.

"Advancing, like attacking?" I thought, another chill prickling along the nape of my neck. I grimaced a little, "We wouldn't do something like that. It sounds like an anxiety nightmare, and nothing more than that Dylan. I'm surprised Max is even reading so much into it."

I realized as I was talking that I desperately wanted this to be brushed aside. I didn't want to listen to this, to even think of the prospect that one of the Flock could hurt it's own in any way. The idea just gave me the creeps, and for some reason it was all too easy to imagine us…circled around Max…

My stomach clenched.

"When she woke up she said her Voice left her a message." Dylan spoke calmly, but there was a chill to his words. "That…That what she dreamed was what would be."

Creepy as all hell.

I stayed silent for a few moments, but honestly even knowing that sort of thing…what did it mean? I didn't feel like turning on Max anytime soon, but did it mean someone else was? And how much stock could somebody put in a dream that was supposedly prophetic? I grimaced at the mere thought of bringing it up to Shinichi. That would mean trying to explain the Voice, something I'd avoided in conversation just because people could misunderstand and think she was going freaking insane.

Under the pressures of saving the world…who could blame her?

_Max is NOT going insane._ I told myself severely, I wouldn't let myself think that. I'd doubted Max once, and what had it got us? Stuck in the big city with Angel as our temporary leader and Max worried as all heck. Oh, and Jeb got shot…not that I care about THAT anymore, after, you know, he tried to kill me with an all powerful jewel that granted immortality.

Speaking of that, perhaps prophetic dreams weren't so farfetched when considering that…

I blinked, realizing that I'd been dead silent for at least three minutes, and Dylan hadn't said anything either. Since there was no dial tone it was safe to assume that we were still connected to each other. "I'll try to figure something out…Dylan."

"Alright…bye." Dylan said, I hung up the phone, startled to realize that I was almost relieved at the severing of connection. I stayed sitting on the floor, I realized that I'd slid down so that I still have my back pressed against the wall, but I was no longer standing.

I got up after sitting there for awhile. Something about that dream just gave me the creeps. Maybe it was the words at the end, or maybe it was the fact that just the other day I got a message from Fang telling me I should be looking out for odd dreams.

Why? It made me think, more than ever, that Fang should have been the one talking with Max. After all, he seemed to know SOMETHING. I groaned to myself. I'd have to call Hattori and figure out a way to get ahold of him, maybe even tell him he HAD to get ahold of Max.

It had been important, his message. Hadn't Hattori come all the way from Osaka to deliver it? I felt another chill. Something just occurring to me. Just why had he done that, and not called? Was there some reason we shouldn't be using the phones?

Great, we'd done just that. Next time Dylan called I'd have to tell him to think of another way to get ahold of me. No more phone calls. Maybe I was paranoid, and over reading what the deal was with Hattori…I'd have to talk to him for sure in the morning.

I sighed, getting up and walking to the door. I wasn't tired enough to sleep anymore, I was thinking of maybe going downstairs and getting a midnight snack. My birdkid hunger was kicking in full gear, and I would probably eat my pillow in my sleep if I didn't get something in my stomach.

As I walked into the kitchen I tensed, then relaxed. Shinichi was in there, I cleared my throat, and he jumped in response. Something metallic clattered to the floor, and rolled near my feet. I blinked for a second, as Shinichi seemed completely shocked at my presence.

I bent down, my fingers reaching for whatever he'd dropped but he somehow managed to cross most of the kitchen, and stop me…by pressing the entire palm of his hand against my face. I stopped, feeling a flare of irritation go through me at that. We both kind of stood there for a moment before he pushed me away and picked up what he'd dropped.

_**

* * *

**_

Shinichi felt a thrill of relief go through him, though it was clear that Iggy was suspicious. Not that he blamed him, how much more suspicious did a guy get than physically making sure he didn't pick it up? It wasn't that Shinichi didn't trust Iggy, and didn't think that his adopted brother would support him.

He had to tell Ran, before anyone else.

But…Shinichi pushed his thoughts aside, focusing on Iggy instead. He seemed annoyed, but he wasn't calling him out like he normally would have, not even teasing him. In short, something was off, different. His younger sibling got up, an expression of vague annoyance on his features as he passed Shinichi and headed for the refrigerator.

"Ah…gomen." Shinichi said, trying to at least strike something up.

"I'm not even going to bother to ask." Iggy said flatly, Shinichi blinked, a little caught off guard. "You'll tell me when you're ready? Ne? Well in the mean time I know that whatever it is is something you're keeping to yourself, I won't pry."

Shinichi blinked, he kind of shook his head a little with a chuckle. Iggy was very perceptive, despite being blind he could see straight through a lot of people in a way that others just could not. He had a way of reading you, feelings and emotions, perhaps because he had to be extra perceptive BECAUSE of his lack of sight.

Heh, it was odd to say, but he actually had a bit of potential as a detective, though he doubted Iggy would ever pursue a path like that. Shinichi sighed, walking passed Iggy and grabbing an apple from the refrigerator as Iggy quickly ate a few oranges.

"You're like a garbage disposal." Shinichi said, trying to force a little humor. Iggy smiled a little, rolled his eyes and tossed a feel peels at him before heading away.

"Bed, I'm tired. Sorry about hitting you, by the way." Iggy said, stopping in the doorway. Shinichi grimaced and rubbed his lip. It was still a bit sore, having been split but he was sure it would be fine after a bit. Iggy could do some damage, he knew that he was probably lucky.

Shinichi wondered why Iggy woke up like that though, as if he was fighting for his life. He considered asking, only for a heartbeat before remembering the fact that Iggy had decided to at least leave him alone. Sure, it was easier for the blind hybrid, but Shinichi would return the favor…for now.

The detective sighed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Iggy had indeed left before leaning against the counter. It wasn't that he didn't feel like he needed to talk to someone. Hell, Shinichi was just about bursting with the crap piling through his head.

_And it's distracting._ Shinichi thought, with his track record…that was never a good thing. He had to be alert, aware of the presence of people at all times. Sometimes Ran slipped under his radar, but she was a unique circumstance. Iggy was never someone who'd been able to do that before, and Hattori DEFINITELY had never done that.

He sighed, rubbing his temples.

Life had a way of putting decisions in your lap, and even if the choice was obvious you found yourself staring blankly at the options. And wondering. Wondering if you ever had the chance to go through it, or perhaps if the world was stacked up against you.

Shinichi was fairly logical. He had a hard time believing that the world would be stacked up against him, but he knew very well that things seemed to block his path. Even now, after everything was said and done. Even with the most obvious of decisions he had sitting before him, he couldn't make it.

Because…

Shinichi sighed, pulling the ring out of his pocket. If he didn't get up the courage to ask Ran then what good was he? He wanted it, more than anything. To be married to Ran. He knew, without a doubt, that she was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He shut his eyes. It was such an easy choice, such an obvious choice.

The detective grimaced, and got up. Yes, Iggy was perceptive, but he also had a strange way of overlooking things to. Like the fact that even though it was the middle of the night Shinichi had been awake to hear the telephone…

With a deep sigh he got up and walked slowly toward the stairwell. He hadn't taken five steps before it happened. Pain, like agony burning through his chest. Shinichi's knees buckled and he caught himself on the doorframe. His heart was beating so hard.

An old fear rose in his chest, real terror almost that filled him with a blinding panic. Only one phrase was going through his head, over and over, a cycle. A mantra. _Please no, please no, please no._

It took several heart stopping moments for the pain to subside, and when it did it left him feeling dizzy and weak. He shut his eyes, and leaned his forehead against the frame. That, that was the reason. Perfectly illustrated and crammed into a small nutshell.

Those familiar pains, the burning heat, the throbbing in his heart. It always used to come before he changed into Conan. Shinichi gripped his fist tight, so tightly that his fingernails bit deep into the palm of his hand. It made him feel so sick.

What if he changed back? Should he tell Haibara? "Damn…" Shinichi snarled. Because all other words eluded him. The attacks had started about a month ago, and were growing worse. Did that mean the antidote was wearing off? Would he turn into Conan again.

He shut his eyes, the detective breathed out a shaky sigh.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

* * *

The man felt chilled to the bone. It was ridiculously chilly out in his opinion tonight. Even so late. He glanced up at the clouded sky, and scowled a little. That, the clouds, and even the cold, was not nearly so annoying as the pacing of his counterpart.

"Do we know the reason we're even after this kid?" His partner asked, walking back and forth, back and forth. The man wondered if his partner remembered the fact that they were in front of a well known detective's home. Something so obvious as pacing would be spotted if he looked out the window.

The man grimaced, "No, we're not told shit like that. And don't be questioning it either. All we need to do is follow orders, and we'll have a place in the after-time."

The man rubbed his temples, looking back at the house. He had read up on the home, but he hadn't realized their target was so young. Around his son's age actually. A shudder racked him, but he tried not to think of that. Remember that there was a place for them in the after-time, for them and their families.

The world was ending. It was so near now, and the higher ups were wanting control. It was unavoidable, so if they could control the apocalypse then maybe…maybe there would be hope. He had to believe that, because if not his family would be dead.

To save his family he'd do anything. Even attack a small child.

"Maybe they need him as bait, for the Ride girl." The other man said, ignoring the man's advice. He shook his head sadly. This person would not make it far. He would be eradicated as soon as they discovered he asked questions, as soon as they found he was clumsy.

The man winced. He didn't want to not do anything. He placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, quietly stopping him, "Please, calm down. We have to keep our heads about us. We're gathering information now, it's later when things will come to play."

"Do you like doing this?" The man asked, something almost like hatred in his eyes, "Planning to kidnap a child of all things, and for what? So we can live on after the world ends? What's the point!"

"I will do anything, to make sure my family survives." The man hissed, "I don't care about myself. As long as my wife and children survive in this world, for as long as they can. As long as their lives aren't stolen from them, then I will be happy."

The person stared at him for a moment, before turning away. Very softly he said, "What's your name?"

The man looked at his hands. Surgeon's hands, meant to save lives, not take them. He shut his eyes, and opened them again, focusing solely on the young man in front of him. He wasn't much older, but he had to wonder what the person was fighting for. He'd told him his reason.

"My name is Christopher Smith." He said softly, "Now…let's report in for the night. This won't be an easy task."

Even though guilt weighed heavily on his stomach like a stone, he couldn't give up. He had to help his family, and even if part of him would die to uproot a child from his home and family…his family would live on. To him, that was the only thing that mattered.

_**

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**_

_**Alright! FINALLY right? X3**_

_**Christopher is actually not a new character, he was in the last one. You guys might not remember him well though, he was the surgeon who saved Mitsuhiko's life. **_

_**He'll play quite a role in this story. I don't like completely evil villains, so I tossed him in there to temper out the rest of those messed up people this will be filled with. To show people that even really really good people can end up doing bad things for what they perceive to be best.**_

_**Of course we're getting ahead of ourselves. But Chris will be fairly important X3 random OC.**_

_**Anyways, reviews always appreciated.**_


	5. Coveting Natures

_Disclaimer:_

_Not mine, -hums-_

_**Oi vey, many apologies dear readers DX**_

_**My computer broke you see, which bummed me out. (No computer=No FCOTF, No Detective Conan, No )**_

_**I mean, eventually I got my paws on a temporary computer for FCOTF, but that wouldn't work so well for , cause I need my old files to be able to make sure things are meshing together appropriately.**_

_**Lawl, I'm typing this all without my contacts in, I can hardly see it. XD**_

_**Anyways, yeah, sorry for the ridiculously long delay. I hope you'll forgive me. DX**_

_**Also if I spelled the teacher's name wrong (Kobayashi I think) I'm super sorry. It's been ages since I've read DC or watched an episode, so some of the names are a little rusty in my head right now. If it is wrong, just nicely tell me and I'll fix the chapter. :3**_

_**Anyways, I'm excited about this chapter. XD It was actually supposed to originally happen in Blind Sided, but was one of those chapters I never got around to fitting into the storyline. Since I kind of needed a bit of a filler for this chapter, I thought it'd do nicely here.**_

_**Em Phantom- Thank you, hahaha XD I actually fought with myself for it. I like switching from POV to POV even with Ig as the main character, and sometimes we need it to move the story forward ne? Though I'm not doing that as much in this fanfic as I did with Blind Sided. I had such a hard time sitting on the marriage thing. I kept wanting to mention it somewhere and start squealing XD I'm such a ShinRan nut. Lawl...**_

_**Aleathiel Elendil- :3 Chris, I needed a character and thought it would be neat to bring him back. He's fitting into his role very well, and I'm glad with what I've got planned for him. Iz exciting XD**_

_**

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_Chapter Five-Coveting Natures_

I woke to the sound of pattering rain drops. Hammering, incessantly really, against the window. For a moment I remained in bed, my eyes shut tight as I listened to the rhythmic hum of drumming droplets. The whole house was in a bit of a chill.

Was I mad at Shinichi? That was what I was working through. Maybe I'm selfish, being so irritated at whatever he's holding out on me. Yet part of me feels…I don't know, offended? I guess that's what I'm going for. It's obvious he's hiding SOMETHING from me.

I took a breath and slid out of bed, shoving my irritation aside with a pang of guilt at my own idiocy. Shinichi HATED lying, it was one of the things he got from his time being Conan. Oh, he could lie better than a lot of people I knew, but he never did it unless he thought he NEEDED to. Be it crucial to a case or something else.

Which meant, I realized, that whatever he was keeping from me was something he hid only with good reason. Good reason…because he didn't want me to worry? Anyone ELSE to worry for that matter? That made my stomach churn. There wasn't much people like Shinichi and I had to worry about that wasn't something…well, worrying.

I grimaced, got out of bed, and stumbled to my dresser. Better not to get all tied up over it. I tried telling myself it was something, but the nagging in my gut told me that I should be paying close attention to my adopted brother. I slid my t-shirt over my head, and slipped on a pair of jeans before heading out into the hallway.

"Good mornin'." I nearly jumped out of my skin when Hattori talked behind me. I glared, letting him know I didn't quite appreciate his unannounced presence, though I got the feeling he only grinned in response. Heiji's a grinning kind of guy, you get ticked at him and he smiles at you. Or gets ticked back. Eh. "Ya look full o' good cheer."

"Yeah, because rain pouring buckets outside suggests a good and hearty smile in the morning." I grumbled, stretching and rolling my shoulders as I continued down the hallway. My stomach growled, audibly, so I swerved into the kitchen. Hattori followed me. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Eh, just wanted ta drop in. I was kinda bored." Hattori replied, said boredom in his tone.

"Did Shinichi give you a key?" I muttered, irritable. No response, "What, did you just pick the lock on the door? Sheesh, what do you actually DO in your free time Hattori?"

"Good question actually…" Shinichi muttered, the same drowsy growl to his voice I'd gotten used to. Shinichi, one quickly learned while living in the same house with him, is not a morning person. At all. Unless a case is dumped in his lap he seems to be in a state where he's all bark and more than a little bit of bite. Me? Well, since I'm grumpy in the morning too I guess I can kinda handle it.

As if sensing the potential animosity in the air Hattori snorted a little. "Sheesh, didn't think ya'd both be so foul, or I'd a just gone with Kazuha and visited Oji-san."

"Go then." Shinichi and I replied, both in the same flat tones. Though I could hardly keep the smile off my face as I did, and I'm pretty sure Shinichi was just yanking his chain as well. Hattori made a noise that can only be described as an offended grunt, before following us into the kitchen.

"I got a call last night." I said, remembering as I dropped a plate of eggs in front of Hattori. "From Max."

"Ah, that thing I talked ta ya about?" Hattori asked, vague enough to snap Shinichi out of his morning stupor and into curious detective mode. I felt a childish urge to keep the dreams from him, technically it WASN'T his business, but I shoved it aside.

"Yeah, the dreams." I said flatly, relieved that I hadn't decided to keep vague about it because Shinichi seemed interested. His insight could be important. I quickly relayed what Dylan told me about Max last night, and waited for a few moments as the two detectives seemed to digest this information.

"Well, I'll tell Fang anyways." Hattori said after a moment, breaking the silence. I jerked a little, his tone was serious, but there was something almost dubious in it. "Since he specifically asked an' all that…"

"Dreams are basically the subconscious at work." Shinichi mused quietly, "Mostly they're affected by things people already know…the sense that Déjà vu exists actually comes from the fact that people tend to go in and out of hypnotic states through out the day. Day dreaming, not paying attention, and all that. They half hear something while not truly listening to a conversation and it seems like they dreamed or imagined something that is the same when they see it later."

"Uh…fun fact?" I said, blinking.

"What Kudou's sayin', is that it's probably just a dream." Hattori said calmly. I blinked again, "She's jus' twistin' up images and things she's already got in her head and makin' em' into whatever she's dreamin' about."

"So basically, she's psyching herself out." I said, I couldn't help it, my tone was flat…almost cold.

"Unless someone's putting the thoughts into her head." Shinichi pointed out blandly, sounding just as annoyed with me as I was with him. I grunted in response, quite ready to point out that, hey dude, I can freaking fly when he said with a tired sigh, "I'm just saying it's best not to get all worked up over it is all. She WILL psych herself out if she's worried about it constantly. Something to keep in mind, but not be too freaked out over."

I rubbed my temples, forcing myself not to snap. What Shinichi said made sense, it was freaking Max out. Or else she wouldn't have called me. Still, maybe it was just the fact that my dreams were so haunting lately…maybe that's why I was having so much trouble just shrugging it off.

"I'll tell her as much…but you're still going to tell Fang?" I asked, directing this question at Hattori. He grunted an affirmative, and, after a moment's hesitation, I hopped out of my chair. School would be starting soon, and the Detective Boys were probably going to be waiting for me at the end of the block, not to mention Shiho.

Besides, I won't lie, the prospect of shoving all of this serious crap underneath the bed, even for just a few hours, and just spending time with a bunch of kids was looking pretty good right now.

_**

* * *

**_

I was right, Shiho had been waiting for me. Leaning up against the fence with her umbrella. Which I was grateful for, since I seemed to have forgotten my own. I huddled with her beneath hers as we walked down the street, enjoying the simple silence for a few moments.

"Things tense?" She asked as we walked halfway down the block. I shrugged my shoulders, not really wanting to talk about things that morning. She didn't ask any more questions though. It's one of the things I truly love about Shiho, she knows when and when not to push it.

"Iggy-kun!" Ayumi's voice was quickly followed by others as the Detective Boys ran over to us. So much for a quiet morning. But still, I smiled to myself as I followed after them, chuckling under my breath as they fought over the rights to tell me what exactly happened to them over the past few days.

I don't know whether to call them simply my friends. They're kinda more than that, like younger siblings really. There's something about them that is hard not to like. Spirit I guess. I found myself smiling as the conversation died down and Mitsuhiko and Genta ran ahead to race or something like that. Ayumi hung back with me and Shiho, shouting at the two of them to please be careful.

"If you two keep running in the rain you'll…" Shiho started, her tone quite calm, she didn't get the chance to finish before the sound of scuffling feet and a splash met my ears. Shortly followed by groans and the clattering of umbrella's against pavement. I smiled with amusement. Shiho finished with a sigh, "Fall."

"Look what you did Mitsuhiko." Genta complained.

"I did?" Mitsuhiko said, polite as ever but still greatly irritated. I smiled to myself as he made a disgusted noise, and scrambled back to his feet. "You were the one who dragged me down Genta-kun…ah…I'm absolutely covered in water."

"Are you alright?" Ayumi said softly, the two boys babbled for a moment under her question.

"Serves them right if they got a few scrapes." I mused softly. As I did this Shiho jerked the umbrella away from me. I protested as cold rain was suddenly pouring over my head. "Hey!"

"Be nice to the children, Iggy-kun." Shiho said, something clearly mocking in her tone. I scowled, and scrambled under the safety of her umbrella. Note to readers; remember that if you forget an umbrella you are at the mercy of whoever is kind enough to shelter you.

The rest of our walk to school continued much the same way, though I wasn't doused again, thankfully. We hurried inside, Mitsuhiko and Genta muttering to themselves about how wet their things were. After hanging our stuff in the closet we hustled into class.

It didn't take long for the normality of the classroom to wash over me. Soon I was drifting off into a completely different time and planet. La-la land, really. There's only so much rudimentary class material a guy can take after all.

"Iggy-kun, is there something you don't understand?" The question directed my way startled me out of my daydream, I blinked a few times, and gave Kobayashi-sensei a sheepish grin. The woman sighed softly, "Iggy-kun, it does little good for you to not pay attention in class."

"Gomen, Kobayashi-sensei." I said with a false smile. She sighed, and walked me through the last few things she'd talked about in class. I did my best to pretend to pay attention, after all she was trying to make sure I didn't fall behind in class.

I didn't care much for Kobayashi-sensei for the first few days that I was here in Japan. I mistook her for stupid I guess, I think it was mostly my animosity at the fact that I even had to attend a school at all that had me instantly disliking the poor woman.

Really she was actually quite nice, if not a little too enthusiastic about a certain local detective club. Not that a little attention was a bad thing to those kids. They weren't exactly shy of the spotlight or anything like that. She attempted to make it a bit easier for me to sit in class and go through what was mostly a visual study regime.

Not that I was having any trouble with it, since I happen to be a bit smarter than most of the kids here. I mean, yeah, I never had any schooling in my life but STILL. Yeah, anyways, I was pretending to pay attention so that she wouldn't realize her efforts were really unnecessary.

Really, basically, a normal day. Nothing strange about it at all.

Okay, surely you see where I'm going with this, right? I mean, SURE, I could have an entirely normal day for you to read. But that would be disappointing, because for some reason you find my misfortunes (or even the misfortunes of the people around the people I hang around) something of an amusement. A bit of entertainment.

I've never been one to disappoint, ne?

So, as Kobayashi-sensei was explaining the way you add two and two to me in patient tones, a very loud scream came from the hallway. Really a collective GROUP of screams. Shrill shrieks from the room next door. I hardly even registered the fact that they weren't HAPPY screams of excited children, but screams of horror, than I was yanked from my chair as the Detective Boys rushed to the door.

"Owwww!" I snapped, as I was forcefully dragged into the hallway. Really, Shinichi was a TERRIBLE influence on these kids. Rushing off right when someone screamed. "Hold up just a second guys, it might be dangerous!"

Of course they ignored my words. They ALWAYS ignore me when it comes to crap like this. Heck, EVERYONE does. YOU probably would to. It's like there's a secret club out there called, The 'Oh-look-danger-everybody-ignore-Iggy's-prudent-advice-and-rush-headlong-into-it' Club. Or the OLDEIIPARHII Club. Just you watch, it'll catch on. They'll be selling t-shirts or something next week.

So, as I was saying, they ignored my words (of course) and busted into the room like they were the cavalry or something. This brought on more screaming, which made me wince, though we weren't shot in the head or something ridiculous like that. Kobayashi-sensei came up behind us, and gasped.

"Kami…" She choked out. "Kids, we…out…"

Silence, stunned silence. Now, I'm not one to get quickly irritated by being left out of the proverbial loop since…well, the rest of the world can see. A lot of the time they forget that I'm sitting in the corner and can't see either. Still, it's nice to know what the hell is going on. Especially at times like these. So I cleared my throat and said pointedly, "Uh, anyone kind enough to tell me exactly what the big deal is?"

"It…it's sensei." A girl said, someone from the classroom we'd just entered. Older than us, I'd say in the fifth grade maybe even the sixth by the sound of her voice. She wavered for a second, before whimpering softly, "She's dead."

I was stunned into silence for a few moments before I simply choked out, "Cripe."

"Kids, stay out of here." Kobayashi-sensei said, not to us since that would be too little too late, but to the children behind us, "Ai-chan, could you please go get some help?"

"Hai." Shiho muttered softly, ducking away from the doorway and heading into the hall to do just that. I winced as I stepped cautiously forward, there were panicked little whimpers filling the room. The kids that were in there were about two seconds from flipping out, hard-core.

I felt the Detective Boys hesitate, looking to me for what to do. I wanted to shrug, and say what was on my mind. That I'm no detective, heck, I'm BLIND for pity's sake. There's no way I could be a detective effectively EVER. It wasn't my job to deal with crap like this, I didn't have even the slightest clue what to do. After all, this sort of thing never happened to me.

Well, this sort of thing never happened to me when Shinichi wasn't there. Usually he was, and as hard a time as people give him for his 'death-magnetism' it's not like we actually take his talent for solving cases for granted.

The fact that he happened to be absent for this particular one made me more than a little bit nervous. Not even nervous really, somehow edgy. Or maybe even doubtful, somehow without Shinichi I thought that this case wouldn't be solved.

Gee, I have such faith in the local police force…but then, see how many times Shinichi's corrected them and maybe you might understand that.

"Just…uh, stay back guys." I said softly. Heh, leadership, not one of my good qualities. I'm more of a follower than a leader. Maybe a background guy who is there to make sure things to go too close to hell, but not exactly in charge. There was a moment of huffing, "We can't just go up there."

"But we should DO something!" Came the hissed protest, this boldly spoken by Genta. "What, we just stand back cause Conan…Shinichi isn't here?"

"Shinichi-senpai." Mitsuhiko corrected Genta a little half-heartedly, before adding softly, "But he's right, Iggy-kun. We can't just…do nothing."

"Yeah, we're the Detective Boys!" Ayumi squeaked. I could hear the whimperings building as I was crowded by the three children. I struggled with myself, wondering what the hell I should do that would even make any difference.

No, paused, blinking. I shouldn't think like THAT. I should be thinking, what the hell would SHINICHI do?

Run in, stick his nose into places, solve the case. Yeah, not gonna work with me. But I could still slow my thinking down a bit and try to HELP. Take things one step at a time. I grimaced, and noted the panic building in the room.

"Okay…" I said slowly, "Well I'm thinking these kids saw what happened. If they all start panicking it's just going to be harder to get information out of them right?"

"Calm them down?" Mitsuhiko said, "But they're older than us Iggy-kun…"

"Why should they care what we say?" Genta said. I snorted.

"I don't see bright ideas coming out of YOU two." I snapped, a bit irritable. "Okay, I don't SEE anything, but that's hardly the point. I'm not a detective, how the heck should I know what to do."

"You are SO a detective." Ayumi argued, "You're in the Detective Boys."

I groaned, only because I was basically forced to join. I tried to think harder, before I hopped over to a desk and tapped the girl on the shoulder. She jumped and shrieked, which caused another bout of screaming. I winced but calmly asked, "Sorry, but do you know what happened?"

"H-huh?" She asked, shocked perhaps at the directness of my question. Kids seemed to be tuning in though, I felt their attention shifting to that. Something like relief flooded through me. Be direct, that's what Shinichi would do right?

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice gentle. The children around me seemed to be accepting that I wasn't just asking the girl in front of me, but all of them. Yet silence followed.

"Uh…" Mitsuhiko said softly, "Ah…feel free to merely just speak out. Iggy-kun can't really see you raising your hands so…"

I suppressed the urge to slap myself in the forehead. My fingers even twitched with it, but somehow I held out and remained patient. Though that was short lived, as the next spray of questions basically shoved that out the window.

"Why can't he see?"

"Is he blind?"

"Kami, really? I thought his eyes kinda looked weird."

"Are you blind?"

"How come you can't see? Did someone throw acid in your face?"

"Was it a firecracker?"

"Did a cat claw out your eyes?"

"Wha…" I blinked, stepping back as they bombarded me. I glanced in the direction of the cat one, as that one stuck out to me, "That…I still HAVE my eyes…"

"Oi, SHADDUP!" Genta yelled, making almost everyone (including me) flinch at the loud bellow. I sighed, feeling as if I was about ready to tear my brain out by my spinal cord at this point in time. Though I was aware of just how large my friend was, standing behind me. I almost smiled, despite the current events, at the fact that he was backing me up like that. "Sheesh, have a little respect."

"Yeah, that was rather rude." Mitsuhiko said. I opened my mouth to thank them, and push them back on task, but Ayumi beat me to the punch by repeating my first question.

"What happened to Sensei?" She asked, her tone was quiet but there was a firmness to it that really would have made Shiho proud. Shinichi too, I realized. These kids were really shaping up to be rather intelligent.

Silence followed a bit as the kids seemed to sober up. I almost didn't blame them for attacking me with so many questions. They were probably desperate for a chance to distract themselves from what was happening right now. They hadn't ever been around murder before.

"Sensei was getting up to teach." One girl said softly in the back.

"Then he started coughing and gagging, like he was choking or something but he wasn't eating anything earlier. Just drinking some coffee." A boy in the back added, the whole class fell silent as he continued softly, "Then he fell over and…didn't get up again."

More whimpering. Somebody's going to be paying an arm and a leg for some therapy for these kids. I sighed, having had my entire technique thoroughly stomped by the rest of the group. Still, as I leaned back I couldn't help but at least force myself into thinking.

So the guy collapsed. That could be any number of things. Anything NATURAL even, right? Like, a heart attack or something. Maybe they mistook grabbing his chest for choking or something. Or he could have had a stroke or an aneurysm.

For that matter, who WAS our victim? How old was he…there were a butt-load of critical factors that I hadn't even taken into account and WHERE THE HELL WERE THE FREAKING POLICE! Sheesh, leaving a bunch of kids to do this.

I groaned. Really, not cut out for this sort of thing. Have I mentioned that? Just trying to wrap my head around it was starting to make my brain hurt a bit.

"Iggy?" I jumped, blinking as Shiho put her hand on my shoulder. "How are things going?"

"I haven't even the slightest clue." I said with a groan. What step to take next, how to take that step. Sheesh, I was no professional after all. Why was it everyone expected me to know what we were doing? I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself down.

Really, I was basically just freaking out. Unhelpful. Earlier I had something for a little bit. If I just tried thinking straight then that meant I should be able to keep my head above the water for a few seconds right? Or at least see the forest through the trees or whatever.

Again, I know I can't see. Hahaha, funny, right. Back to the case.

"Did you call Shinichi?" I asked, hopeful that she had gotten ahold of him.

"He's in class, his phone isn't with him at the moment, or at least it's not on." Shiho said softly, "Though I left a message for him, Iggy, that if he has the time and feels like sticking his nose in another case he should head on down to the elementary school."

"Shinichi-senpai?" Mitsuhiko squeaked, and tried to cover up his excitement. "Ah…I mean…it's quite possible he won't have to trouble himself with coming this way. We may have the case solved before then, ne?"

"HAI!" Genta said, determined suddenly.

"We can do it!" Ayumi said also. "Ne, ne, Iggy-kun?"

"Uh…yeah, right it's possible." I muttered, blinking a little. They had so much confidence, it was hard not to get taken away with it as well. Hey, so I'm not a professional but that doesn't mean I'm an idiot right? Who says you need someone like Shinichi to solve a case?

Heh, it'd be something nice to have anyway, the rights to say we could handle it just once without him. Plus it was helping the kids walk on their own without using Shinichi as some sort of crutch right? Good brain exercise.

"You guys are those detectives, aren't you?" One kid said, sudden dawning entering his tone. I blinked a bit, and before I had the chance to reply was suddenly surrounded by the three kids as they struck the famous ol' 'pose' which of course was followed by.

"We're the Detective Boys!" Shouted rather loudly into my ears. I held up my badge, though it wasn't as half-hearted a gesture as it might have been if this little thing had gone down only a little bit before. They let me drop to the floor and I dusted myself off critically as if it was greatly important.

"Alright, so we've gathered a testimony from the eyewitnesses." Mitsuhiko said, I half wondered if he knew half of the words he said. Then again, Mitsuhiko knows a lot of random things most kids his age don't know.

"Now what?" Genta said, a question I would have liked to ask to. Seeing as he beat me to the punch I found myself actually trying to think of an answer instead.

"Well, okay let's think…the first thing at a crime scene is to make sure things are kept in the same places before the police get here right? We can't mess things up for the forensics team." I pointed out, "And not touch them with our hands…"

"We know that." Ayumi giggled.

"Doesn't hurt to remind you." I said, snorting a little. It resulted in a few chortles from the kids around me, the Detective Boys not the class. They were freaked. Which kinda goes to show you how desensitized the Detective Boys are starting to become.

Heheheh, you're welcome parents.

I heard Ayumi slip out a camera (yeah, Shinichi would be super proud I know) and Mitsuhiko lead me carefully over to where the man was. He made sure to tell me if there was something near my foot, even a pencil, which made things slow going. Genta stayed behind and kept the kids calm.

Those kids…were growing up way too fast. Part of me felt bad for my earlier humor at the fact they were so desensitized to…murder of all things. Or at least becoming desensitized to it. I noticed that Mitsuhiko was trembling a bit, I wondered if he had ever gotten this close to one of the dead bodies before.

"Sorry Mitsuhiko…" I said softly, not sure why I myself was over this close to a dead person. Call it intuition, I suppose. Still, I found myself taking up to trembling too. I half expected the scent of blood to be thick in the air.

And yet…it wasn't. Right, choked to death. Not shot or stabbed. "See anything, Mitsuhiko-kun?" I queried. Silence met my words and I took a tentative breath through my nose, blinking a bit as I did. I knelt down, and sniffed.

"Ah-le?" Ayumi said, "Iggy-kun?"

"Smells like…almond?" I said, blinking in confusion.

"Cyanide often smells of bitter almond." Shiho said softly, right in my ear. Scared the bloody heck out of me, but what else is new? I was torn between glaring at her and digesting the information she had to offer, her tone calm. "The children said he had been drinking coffee…"

I stood up, aware of just how odd I must have appeared as Mitsuhiko lead me over to the desk. I stood on tiptoe and sniffed at the coffee cup. "This smells like almond too…"

"What is he, some kind of dog?" Some kid dubiously asked in the audience. I found my features dropping into a mask of flat irritation as this question spread like wildfire through the entire classroom. Shiho chuckled to herself softly, clearly amused by this situation.

"Are you like that show?" Some kid questioned, "The one with the guy in the red cloak, and with the white ears?"

"Do you bark?" Another kid asked.

Dear god please just shoot me now…okay, just joking. Knowing my luck that'd be answered. Which would suck. I sighed heavily, trying to hide my irritation while the Detective Boys scrambled amongst themselves to come up for an excuse for what I was doing.

"Well…you see…" Mitsuhiko choked out.

"You never know where you'll find something important!" Genta added.

"You have to look everywhere!" Ayumi put in. "Even the smallest of things could solve a case!"

"There is also the matter that Iggy's sense of smell is actually keener than others." Shiho said, faint amusement in her tone. "Since he cannot see his other senses are sharper than what one would consider normal."

"Why do I feel like I'm the subject of show and tell?" I muttered darkly. I stood up, brushing off my pants, "Well what I figure is that it's pretty safe to say the dude was poisoned, so we know the cause of death. Not that that does us much good, without any suspects."

Cue the door sliding open with a slam. You'd think we would have been moved out of the room earlier than this, just saying, but maybe Kobayashi-sensei was too busy listening to us play detective for a little bit. The police at least, seemed pretty surprised that the kids were still in the same room with the stiff.

Yeah, I know, I'm Mr. Sensitive. Kindness ain't doing that guy any favors anymore, now are they? Wow, that was particularly heartless, ignore that please.

"Ah…" Takagi's familiar voice sounded near the doorway, "I…what are you guys doing in this classroom?"

"We heard screams so we ran over." Shiho said in a tone that suggested this should be completely obvious. I chuckled, somehow I don't think that was exactly the point behind Takagi's inquiry. The officer made a nervous sort of laughing noise.

"No…ah…" He seemed to flounder.

"Yeah, you thought maybe these guys wouldn't be underfoot with Shinichi…ah…back in school." I said, wincing a bit as I caught my near mistake. Still, Takagi would understand and I pushed on with something akin to a mischievous grin. "Sorry buddy, seems the bad luck's rubbed off on me. Or maybe those kids…"

"Ah…ha…" Takagi said with a nervous laugh. The kids attacked him with questions and I stepped back, glad to give the reigns over to the police. My head was swirling with any number of scenarios. And I honestly couldn't figure out how to tie any of them together.

"Anything?" Shiho asked.

"Well, the entire class could have killed him." I said flatly, "Or one of the students."

"Wow, you have a gift for seeing the good in people." Shiho said sarcastically in response. I grinned back at her.

"Yeah, I got that from you." I retorted. She snorted a little and I shrugged. "Hey, believe me, kids can do ANYTHING. It's stupid to rule them out as a suspect."

"Your paranoia has surpassed even my own." Shiho said flatly. I waved her off, and walked away. "What, detective mode?"

"Me? No, I'm thinking but I doubt I can catch an angle on this." I sighed, "No tricky trick or whatever. The guy was slipped cyanide. It's laughable really, Shinichi would solve it in a matter of six or seven seconds."

"Don't beat yourself up…" Shiho said, and I realized that I was. I was seriously pissed that I couldn't figure out something that Shinichi easily would. It made me feel…almost stupid. Maybe jealous. "There's lots of things you can do that Kudou-kun can't."

"Name one."

"Fly." Shiho said, I smiled, tried to hide it and failed.

"Aside from freakish mutations." I said, trying to feign grumpiness. She just slipped her hand into mine and I sighed, letting my head fall on her shoulder. "Still feel awful you know. Like, it still sucks."

"Yeah." Shiho said, "Someone who writes well is still envious of a singer with a gorgeous voice. We, as human-beings, want whatever it is we cannot have. A man who had everything in the world would still long for more, it's human nature."

"Covet this, covet that." I smirked, "Really we are rather shameless, ne?"

"If you look at it in that manner, I suppose." Shiho said wryly. She lead me back to where the people were being interrogated. Apparently the teacher was fairly popular. The principle had come in and shouted at him a bit before class, his wife was randomly wandering around the school, and a man had screamed in his face in front of all the students.

All, apparently, had ample time to place the poison into the drink. However, they had been talking with people since the time of the murder, or at least since they left. Which meant that the chances were high they still had whatever they used to poison the teacher on them.

This, I gathered by using amazing detective skills…and listening to the police talk. Shut up, leave me alone. Sore subject, I'm not a super detective. Buzz off.

I blinked, something dawning on me. I wandered over near the people, and I know this is going to sound super weird but you can bite me, I started sniffing their fingers. The wife, nothing but perfume. Which made me sneeze, but I moved on before she had a chance to figure out that she suddenly had bird-kid snot on her fingers. Heh, YOU try covering your sneeze super fast. Not my problem.

The principle just smelled like cinnamon rolls, which, judging by his footsteps, he should probably start laying off of a bit. I moved on beyond him before he could notice their was a random kid sniffing at his hand like a puppy dog.

Funny, I don't think any of the adults were paying any attention, but the hush in the room from the students suggested their eyes were on me. I'm guessing they were able to follow my train of thought. You could have heard a pin drop, if it wasn't for Megure and Takagi interrogating the suspects.

Kind of a neat feeling really, though ever so slightly creepy. Like, you want to turn around and ask people to please stop staring at you. Still, I moved on to the last suspect, sniffed his fingers and stepped back with a grin.

Almond.

Hahaha, who says brains is always the best thing to have? My sniffer solved the case. Eh, maybe not something to be openly bragging about. I darted around the people, and tugged at the corner of Megure's jacket.

"Megure-keibu." I said, the man stopped talking, his attention drawn to me. "Hi, Iggy. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Uh-huh…" Megure said, a little warily. I pointed over my shoulder in a bored manner with my thumb. Shinichi's reveal would have been theatric, but heh, I'm not that much of a theatric kind of guy.

"If you test the last guy's hand for cyanide I bet it'll come back positive. His fingers reek of it. Ask him to stick them in his mouth, bet he won't do it." I smirked slightly and walked away. All confidence and smiles.

Heh, I do not blame Shinichi for kind of liking the spotlight. Though I'll admit that this is kind of a fluke, and that the forensics more than anything will solve this case and provide evidence. I walked out of the classroom followed by the Detective Boys.

"We're awesome." Genta said, startling me a bit.

We? Yeah well…I smiled, "Yeah, you guys are pretty cool."

"We did help out a bit, didn't we?" Mitsuhiko said, hehehe, not sticklers for pride these kids. That's not necessarily a bad thing I suppose. I smiled a bit as they continued to chatter. Shiho chuckled, and lead them away. School was out for the day, unsurprising considering a murder just took place.

They'd probably want to investigate more, but the sound of the rest of the classroom was behind us. I think we were the only ones in the whole school at that point, besides the people back in the room we just left. The students ran out, ready to go home. Poor kids.

"Iggy-kun…" Ayumi whispered, I barely even caught the words, but stopped and blinked. The other three of our small group continued forward, and I leaned against the wall.

"Yeah?" I asked, she sounded…I dunno, unhappy or something I guess. I winced inwardly. I'm not really a talk it out kind of person. I'm not a lot of kind of persons. Then again, I was on a roll after solving the case using my nose.

"I was just…" Ayumi trailed off, "It's just that…"

Silence. I waited patiently for her to say something, there was little point in pressuring her after all. Though I get antsy when I'm in empty hallways. Whether that's a side effect of a certain shrinking drug, or a result of spending a good chunk of my life fleeing psycho's bent on using me for experimental purposes I'm unsure.

"Does…Conan…Sh-Shinichi-kun like us anymore?" Ayumi said, I almost lost my hold on the wall and fell on my butt right there in the hall. An embarrassing situation to be sure, I stood up quickly to hide that fact, blinking a bit.

I would have almost said she was joking. But…well she's young for joking about something like that. Then there was the tearfulness in her tone, and that…well, that shoved any thought of joking out the window. She was serious…and really unhappy.

"Of course he still likes you guys." I said, blinking, "Ayumi-chan you guys are pretty important to…"

"He never talks to us anymore." Ayumi said softly, sniffled it really. My heart lurched. Order of business, smack Shinichi upside the head when I get home for making Ayumi cry. "He doesn't play with us even though we're always next door…"

"Well…he's…" I tried to think of an excuse. I failed miserably.

Why hadn't it even occurred to me that these guys would be upset? I was getting ready to beat myself up for it, just the fact that I hadn't even NOTICED, but then I shoved that feeling aside. It would be Shinichi's job to do that, I guess.

"He only hung out with us…cause he wanted to blend in…" Ayumi said. I bit my lip. It was awful to say, but I think, at first at least, that was actually the truth. They WERE a means of blending in. It would have been odd for him to NOT have any friends at school, and he couldn't afford standing out in any way at all. Not with Them always breathing down his neck.

But I know those kids…they aren't just a cover-up for him.

"Look, I can guarantee you he's just being a baka right now." I finally said, pulling Ayumi into a hug. She sniffled at me, and I sighed heavily. "I'll kick his butt for it, don't you worry. But he really cares about you guys. And you Ayumi. He cares about you too. Shinichi always will."

"What if I don't want Shinichi to care about me?" Ayumi whispered softly, "What if I want Conan?"

To that…I honestly had no answer.

* * *

_**Ah, it's seriously good to get a chapter out. **_

_**X3, special thanks to Bloo who stopped a potential block halfway through this chapter. -pets Bloodeh- So if you guys know who I'm talking about tell her thanks or this chapter would have sat in the computer all dusty for weeks. XD**_

_**Anyways, yeah, quite a serious ending to a chapter. I wanted to illustrate the fact that the Detective Boys are children, and view Conan's change into Shinichi in a different way than most people do. Hence Ayumi's tearful confession to Iggy.**_

_**Anyways, I enjoyed this chapter. XD It was fun to try a case chapter without Shinichi or another smart detective moving things along. It made things a bit difficult, and showed me how frustrated Iggy is with his shortcomings in that department. (Hahaha, yes, I think he IS jealous folks)**_

_**I'm done rambling at you anyways. I promise, I'll try working on Catalyst whenever possible. But I've got to try and force my way through this Math Class I'm taking so…yeah. XD**_

_**Reviews are always loved. :3**_


	6. When Life is Almost Perfect

_Disclaimer:_

_One day Patterson, muahahaha! (jk, I love you don't sue me X3)_

_**BWAHAHAHA!**_

_**Well at first I was uncertain whether or not this chapter would have any plot value…**_

_**Meh, it kind of does.**_

_**See, I'm sooo mad that Blind Sided had such crappy ShinRan references. What, three major things that made people squeal? Sad day Streaky, sad day.**_

_**And I've just finished reading the Holmes Apprentice chapter in the manga, and JUST watched the fourteenth movie.**_

_**So I'm like, GNAWING on ShinRan muse (it's crunchy!) as well as a ton of HeiKaz. And why not throw in some Aiggy in there as well?**_

_**Yes, Aiggy, even though I always call her Shiho XD There's something almost inappropriate about Shiggy, and when I said that to my friend Brian he got all excited and was like, "Shinichi x Iggy?"**_

_**And I was like…"Uh…no, sorry Bri…-.-u"**_

_**X3 So now he's unhappy, I didn't even realize they were a potential pairing. XD**_

_**ALSO, hey folks, you finally get to see exactly WHY Iggy never got to cook in the first series for Ran. I'm excited for this chapter, it'll be fun. (Also surprised no one caught it, but I guess I'm the only random spaz who actually reads hours and hours of random Japanese culture)**_

_**Pally- X3 Glad you liked it. Though it was actually a NECESSARY Filler. (The relationship between Iggy and the DB is going to be a very important element in this fanfiction) The dreams stuff was things I remembered from psychology class. XD See kiddies, school IS good for you. Woo! Fanart! Always loved! :3 **_

_**

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**__Chapter Six- When Life is Almost Perfect_

I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Shinichi yet. But…ah, it's quite possible that I did that on purpose. As we left the school building, and after I was all but torn to shreds by two little boys convinced I'd made Ayumi cry (as well as receiving some very cold looks from Shiho, sheesh, I didn't even have to SEE them…) I asked the kids if they'd all like to spend the day at my house the following weekend.

The kids had the potential of being bored, and…well, I knew that it would make Ayumi's day at least.

They were all excited, but I noticed slightly awkward as well when we parted ways. So it was that I got up early, without having mentioned any of this to Shinichi, and opened the door to Shiho. She breezed in, and seemed to be investigating the place as if thinking a child could maim themselves on accident in here.

"Would you care to tell me what happened yesterday?" Shiho asked, sitting on the couch next to me. I sighed, leaning back against the cushions and folding my fingers behind my head.

"They…ah, they're sad that Shinichi doesn't spend time with them anymore." I said, half afraid the detective would be sneaking around if he knew we were talking about him. Peh, wouldn't put it beyond him. He's a sneaky kind of guy when he wants to get some information.

"Sad that Kudou-kun doesn't hang out with them?" Shiho said, a knowing tone in her voice as she grabbed my hand, "Or sad that Edogawa-kun won't hang out with them?"

"The latter." I admitted with a sigh. "Sometimes…I don't know, I guess I forget they're children. We've trusted them with so much, that there shows how much Shinichi cares about those kids, but it must be so…so much for them."

"Indeed." Shiho mused. "Not to mention the fact that they don't really understand. They knew Kudou-kun was happy with them, and as children they can't see that he would have been in pain as well. They've lost a dear friend, and they'll never quite be able to treat him the same again."

"It's not like you." I stiffened, who called it? Really, Shinichi sat down on the chair and sighed. "I was afraid of that though…wari, wari. I should have at least given them some attention."

"I'm not sure if that'd change things, Kudou-kun." Shiho muttered softly. I agreed. We were treated the same as before, but we looked like children. They could pretend nothing had changed with us, but with Shinichi…it was impossible.

"Well then, maybe I have to prove to them that they're still my friends." Shinichi said, something of a wry smile in his voice. I chuckled to myself a little nervously as he added, "This guy here invited them over for the day, ne?"

"Oi, oi, sorry for not telling you…" I said, but the doorbell cut me off. Shiho got up with a murmur saying she'd get it. A minute hadn't even passed before a bunch of them came rushing inside of the room, practically tackling me to the couch. "Oi!"

"Any food?" Genta asked, before anyone had the chance to even say a greeting. That caused a bunch of laughter between the three of them. Shinichi had stood up, and was shuffling a little awkwardly behind them. The kids paused, and seemed to notice him.

An incredibly awkward silence spread between the group. Shiho sat back down on the couch amidst it all, ignoring the odd tension in the air. The kids were dead silent, and I felt like perhaps I should of thought of something else to do.

Psssh, how was I supposed to know Shinichi would be so awkward around them?

"K-Konnichiwa, Kudou-senpai…" Mitsuhiko was the first who spoke, a little nervously. I felt a pang go through me at that. I know I would have been a little hurt to hear my name spoken so formerly by the little boy.

"Konnichiwa." Ayumi and Genta echoed, politely, following suit. I almost groaned allowed, but managed to keep that in. (I did smack myself in the forehead, that was a face palming kind of moment after all…) The silence spread for a moment before Shinichi snorted.

"Barro…" Shinichi said, sitting down in the chair. "You guys are treating me like I'm your teacher or something, I'm still the same person. Taku…"

"U-uh…" Mitsuhiko said, scrambling, "Gomenasai…"

Before he could finish Ayumi had launched herself across the room. Shinichi let out a little 'oof' as the girl collided with him. Mitsuhiko and Genta didn't take long to follow suit. I felt myself relax, relief flooding through me.

"Ooooi, watch it guys." Shinichi complained, though there was suppressed laughter in his ton.

"He IS the same!" Mitsuhiko said, inciting a bit of laughter in the room. Shiho let out an amused chuckle as the kids gave Shinichi a ton of attention. Babbling a million miles a minute suddenly, wanting to let him know exactly what had happened in the passed year or so.

"We haven't told anyone a thing!" Genta said proudly.

"It's REALLY hard sometimes!" Mitsuhiko added, "Having such a respectable and well known detective as a best friend and peer in our past is something that one feels they should be talking about at times."

"We've missed you!" Ayumi muttered.

"Oi, Iggy told the whole class that you moved away to America 'cause you were super smart, and that the Kudou's decided to take him in." Genta said.

"There was a case yesterday!" Ayumi suddenly squeaked.

"Oh YEAH, that was scary…" Genta said.

"I helped Iggy-kun go to the body so he could smell it." Mitsuhiko said proudly.

"That was kinda gross." Genta said.

"Oi…" I said, holding up my hands in self-defense. "What would you have me do? Just sit there and twiddle my thumbs about? Blame this guy, he's rubbing off on me and I don't like it. I don't need dead bodies following me wherever I go, thank you very much."

"Oi, oi…" Shinichi said.

"Ne, ne, you're still part of the Detective Boys right?" Genta asked, stubbornness already in his tone. "Just because you got tall on us doesn't mean you get to ditch the club."

"Yes, that's the way I see it as well." Mitsuhiko said, something like a grin in his voice. Shinichi laughed, trying to calm the kids down a bit. I smiled a little as I leaned back against the couch.

"Mmm, this was a good idea, Iggy-kun." Shiho said softly.

"I was afraid they were just going to sit there and stare at each other for a moment." I added under my breath, "But it seems like everything is going to be okay. It's still…different, you notice they've never once said his name?"

"It must be confusing, they don't know what to call him." Shiho muttered softly.

"We should do something fun!" Mitsuhiko announced.

"We could have dinner somewhere." I said with a smile, "Or lunch, I can probably cook up some lunch."

"Hurray!" The cheer filled the room and I smirked a little bit. Just a little bit. Hey, Shinichi's got his…detective thing, I've got cooking. And bomb making. Oh yes, bomb making. Speaking of which, it's been a ridiculously long time since I made a bomb…

"We could invite Agasa-hakase." Shiho said.

"And Ran-oneesan!" Ayumi shouted.

"Ran hasn't had the chance to eat any cooking from Iggy yet." Shinichi mused.

"EH!" The three children gasped, as though completely and utterly horrified. I tipped my head to one side. Heh, true, she hadn't had a homemade meal from me yet. Some sandwhiches for a picnic or two, but that was about it. She hadn't even had any breakfast here yet.

"Ah, that makes sense though…" Mitsuhiko said, the first to snap out of the 'shock' of that particular reveal. "After all, it is uncustomary for a male to cook in the kitchens in Japan. Ran-oneesan probably never considered letting Iggy-kun cook when they lived together for this reason."

"Iggy makes the best food." Genta said.

"Don't start drooling on me Genta." I said with a chuckle.

"He's glaring at you for that." Shiho muttered, sounding vaguely amused. I smiled to myself and gave a small wave in the larger boy's direction. "Iggy, it would probably be a bit inappropriate to tease the children, don't you think?"

"Oh like you never do it." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Call Ran-oneesan quick!" Ayumi said, sounding excited.

"Hehehehe, it's like a date!" Genta said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"It does seem that way." Mitsuhiko said.

"Oi, oi…" Shinichi said with a laugh, probably thinking the same thing I was. (With amusement I'm sure) That it wasn't exactly an ideal date when there happened to be a bunch of little kids tagging along. Still, Shinichi pulled out his cellphone.

"He's calling her!" Genta said, and was almost immediately shushed by the other too. I chuckled at that, wrapping my arm around Shiho's shoulder as we sat on the couch. She shook her head, and I had to wonder if she was smiling or not.

"Yo, Ran." Shinichi said, eliciting groans almost immediately. Ones that were surely audible to Ran on the other end, as they were quite loud. Shinichi shifted a bit, probably putting a hand over the receiver, "Oi, what was that?"

"Yo?" Mitsuhiko said, as if half appalled.

"That's…so unromantic." Ayumi added, sounding rather disappointed in Shinichi.

"Yeah, it sounded like you were forced to call or something." Genta said.

"Quite a disappointment really." Mitsuhiko added.

"It was rather bland in the manner of romance, Kudou-kun." Shiho said. I was fighting to keep myself from laughing, so rather unable to come up with a smart remark of my own. I could feel the irritation seeping from Shinichi though.

"Oi, what would you have me say?" Shinichi asked flatly, "Because you all know the perfect way to greet a woman you like."

I swear to god I could hear Ran laughing softly on the other end of the receiver. There as a long thinking silence that filled the room, except for my smothered snorts of laughter. Heh, don't judge, I was incredibly amused by this whole situation.

"First of all, hang up." Mitsuhiko said, "So you can attempt it again."

"This time being more gentle." Genta added.

There was a moment in which I'm sure Shinichi was giving the three of them the most dubious look he could possibly manage, before he lifted the receiver to his ear. "Ah…Ran? I…ah, hold on. I need to hang up the phone and call you again."

He did so, and before he started dialing was rebuked thrice for using such a term as 'yo' when greeting the girl who he apparently loved deeply. There was a long pause as the kids struggled to come up with some kind of greeting Shinichi should properly give the girl.

"She's someone you like, so you greet her informally, but not too informally." Mitsuhiko scolded.

"Yeah, you were greeting her like you'd greet Hattori-ojisan over the phone." Ayumi said. This, of course, made me and Shinichi both snort with laughter. Hehehe, oh delightful. Someday we'll have to get her to call him that to his face.

"How does one generally great their lover over the phone?" Mitsuhiko mused aloud. This was just too fantastic, I could almost see Shinichi's face turning into a tomato over that particular statement. Dating, yes, lovers? Well now, Mitsuhiko certainly knows a few things that Kogoro might find interesting apparently.

"N-now hold on…" Shinichi said, but the children were bombarding him.

"You have to answer the phone in a manner that lets her know you're calling for her." Genta said in irritation. I was snickering into my hands by this point.

"Yes, she's important to you, not some random buddy of yours." Mitsuhiko stated as if this was obvious. So hard not to laugh out loud. I was biting the inside of my cheek and Shiho was letting out amused chuckles, mostly at me I think.

"I think you should be smooth." Ayumi mused. I fell off of the couch at that one, no one but Shiho noticed. Ayumi continued, "That's how they did it on that television show."

"Why is Iggy-kun laughing so hard?" Mitsuhiko asked, a little quietly.

"Because he's stupid." Shinichi snapped.

"Oi, shut up and call your LOVER, don't forget to be suave about it either." I said with a smirk from my place on the floor. Shinichi snorted in irritation, and snatched up the phone, and just before he started dialing Shiho calmly stated;

"Perhaps you should put it on speaker phone?" She said, "We'll be quiet, ne?"

"Yes, we have to see what her reaction is when you do it properly after all." Mitsuhiko agreed. Ayumi and Genta quickly assented to this. Shinichi was practically twitching with irritation as Mitsuhiko added, almost chanted, "And don't growl at her cause you're annoyed."

I love these kids.

So Shinichi put the thing on speaker phone, and waited patiently as it rang. It was picked up, and before Ran had a chance to say anything Shinichi practically purred, "Hey baby…" into the receiver. THAT killed me, I would have been heard if it wasn't for Shiho placing her hands over my mouth gently.

Even the KIDS giggled at that. It was so ridiculously over the top. This, of course, was nothing compared to what happened next.

"You do realize…that I already want to kill you." The gruff growl over the end was certainly NOT Ran, but rather, Kogoro. Everyone fell down, I was laughing now even with Shiho's hand pressed firmly against my mouth to try and shut me up. "Whether or not you think I'm your 'baby' or not, Kudou, is not going to change that matter."

"A-ah…K-…hehehe…" Shinichi seemed to flail about for an excuse for a moment before faltering. "Can I talk to Ran?"

"You stay the hell away from my daughter Kudou." Kogoro grumbled, but there was something like amusement in his tone. Whether it was because he realized he had Shinichi cornered, and had embarrassed the hell out of him, or whether it was because he was just teasing, I couldn't tell.

"Otou-saaaan…" Ran's voice came from the other end. After a pause Ran apparently had the phone as she said, "What in the world did you say to him Shinichi?"

"Nothing, never mind." Shinichi groaned. "I was just wondering if you'd like to come over and eat. The Detective Boys are here, and they wanted to see you. Iggy's going to be making us some lunch…"

"Sure, that's okay." Ran said, "I'll be over…um…Shinichi are you sure what you said is nothing?"

"Just leave it Ran." Shinichi said.

"Because it sounded almost like you were hitting on my father." Ran continued. Shinichi groaned aloud, utterly mortified at this. I pried Shiho's hand off of my mouth.

"Well you know Ran-san, Shinichi's always secretly been deeply in love with your dad." I shouted, THAT earned me a punch on the head from Shinichi. Ran was laughing on the other end, so at least I know SHE'S got a sense of humor. "Owww, you'd think you would hesitate to do that when Kogoro clobbered you so much."

"I'll be over in a few minutes Shinichi." Ran said, deciding to save me from a reply I think. She hung up the phone, and the Detective Boys respectably burst into laughter, babbling about how outrageous Shinichi had just been moments before.

_**

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Ran arrived with supplies, of all things. It seemed like we were going to be making some lamb curry for lunch. I was going to making curry. I thanked Ran for the supplies, and all but ordered the Detective Boys to keep her out of the kitchen.

She was supposed to get an Iggy meal after all.

I pulled out all of the ingredients, and got the oil in the saucepan heated up. I placed the lamb in there, and began to brown the meat. I can't see it myself of course, but the smell of the meat will be different when it reaches the right level.

After that, I removed them and set the heat to medium. A bit of garlic, and ginger in the pan for flavor. About six minutes of stirring and it was ready for the paste. I added that in, and stirred it for another three minutes.

It was beginning to smell good by now. I smiled as I put in some beef stock, listening carefully for the boiling. It didn't take long, the stove here is very efficient. In no time the bubbles were bursting and audibly telling me that it was time to reduce it to a simmer. I got the dishes and stuff ready, stacked them up so that everyone would just be able to dish themselves up. After that I headed to the other ingredients, and began peeling the potatoes and carrots. I just finished chopping each of them (cutting the potatoes into little cubes) as the thirty minutes I had to wait ran out.

The timer went off, and I heard the footsteps of three curious people, "Guys, stay out, I'm not done yet." I said, they yelped, and vanished into the deeper parts of the house. Shouting loudly about playing hide and seek while they waited. I heard Shinichi and Ran both offer to join in.

I added the potatoes that I'd just finished preparing, as well as the carrots, to the pan. Some peas, and a bit of coconut milk to the mix had me setting the timer twenty-five more minutes before hopping off to get the rice ready.

"They're going to start eating their fingers soon." Shiho commented wryly.

"Hey, out of the kitchen you. Girlfriend's don't get special passes." I walked over to her, menacingly waving my wooden spoon. There was a snort of something like amusement from her and she heaved an amused sigh.

"As I said, they're getting rather impatient." She said with a smile.

"Well I can't exactly speed time up. Oh, I know, go ask Hakase to make a time machine. He'd do it too, he's weird like that." I headed back to the rice, hopping on my stool. "You wouldn't come in here for something so trivial as that, what's up?"

"I'm…worried about you." Shiho said, I blinked, dumping the rice in the water and setting it to boil. Shiho continued, her tone almost clinical. That's just the way Shiho got when she was stating what she viewed as the truth. Professional almost, it didn't change the fact that she was worried. "You clearly haven't been sleeping well, at all. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Iggy?"

Over a year ago, but I couldn't exactly tell her that, could I?

"I'm fine." I said with a smile, "I've just had a butt-load of phonecalls late at night recently. Ask Shinichi, Max and them called the other day."

"Max called?" Shiho said, "I didn't know that."

I winced. Oops. Left Shiho out of the information circle. I pretended to be paying very close attention to that rice at the moment. Ah yes, cooking rice. Hardest thing you'll ever do. (For anyone who doesn't know how to cook, that's sarcasm)

"She had…an interesting dream." I said softly, and I realized that I wanted to tell Shiho, but was half afraid she'd do what Shinichi did. Just shoot down the possibility of it being even slightly prophetic out of the sky.

"Yes?" Shiho said.

It all tumbled out. Hah, she's a scientist, good at getting the information she wants. She was patient as she listened to me relaying the story. After I'd finished I took a deep breath, and turned the burners off. Everything was finished. "That's that."

"Interesting…." Shiho murmured. "Well it's definitely something I would usually disregard…except for who it happens to be. After all, Max, from what I've seen and what you've told me, does not easily scare over the little things."

"Exactly!" I said, glad someone was on my side.

"It's true that it's unlikely, but so is a child that can read minds. Or someone who is blind that can sense color." Shiho said, she grabbed my hand and ran her fingers over mine. I suppressed a shudder. "Don't dismiss the possibility that the dreams may be important just yet."

"Thank you, Shiho." I whispered, she sighed.

"And don't dismiss me either, when you have things on your mind." Shiho whispered softly. "I tell you the things that trouble me, and that's hard. Please realize that you can tell me what's bothering you."

There was a silence that spread between us, and I brushed my lips against hers. She smiled, I could feel it, and her fingers twined with mine. For a moment I just pressed my forehead against hers, and shut my eyes tight.

"Erhem…" Shinichi's soft cough behind us startled me. I heard Ran chuckling behind her hand as the detective continued, a bit wryly, "Well, Iggy, if you wouldn't mind remembering that apparently the rest of the house is starving to death…"

"They were just kissing." Mitsuhiko said, sounding utterly embarrassed.

"Ewwww…" Genta hissed.

"Ai-chan…" Ayumi said, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"I'm much too young to have witnessed that…" Mitsuhiko muttered softly to himself. Laughter followed, but I actually think he was serious about that. Hahaha, I smiled, waving the group over to where the stove was.

"Alright, alright, fine. Food's ready." I said, I had to hop to the side, and press myself against Shiho to avoid getting crushed by the following stampede as the three of them ushered one Mouri Ran to get the first plate.

We all sat at the table, and everyone waited impatiently as Ran took the first bite.

"It's delicious Iggy-kun." Ran said with a smile. I waved her off, ducking my head and focusing on my plate instead. "No, seriously, you're very talented."

"Eh, I'm alright." I muttered, trying not to glow too much under the praise. She chuckled at me as the kids leaped into their dinners with a gusto that would put starving homeless people to shame. "Oi, oi, slow down or you'll choke alright?"

"Okay, Iggy-kun!" They all chanted, before devouring their food at the same pace as before. I sighed to myself, and Ran laughed in the corner.

"It almost seems perfect." Shinichi said, a smile in his voice.

"Eh?" The kids all halted their eating. Something about the way Shinichi spoke made me think that he hadn't meant for the words to be spoken allowed. Ran must have leaned closer to Shinichi, because I heard her shift her weight or something.

"Ah…" Shinichi floundered for a bit.

"It's one of the good times." Ran said, and something about the way she said it made silence fall through the room. A comfortable silence, but one nonetheless. "It's a moment where everything's just the way it should be in life, ne, Shinichi?"

"Yeah, hahaha…" Shinichi muttered. There was a pause, before the kids seemed to shrug indifferently and continue eating. Shinichi chuckled with amusement and I began eating my own plate of food.

Yeah, Ran was right.

A moment where everything was just how it should be.

_**

* * *

**_

Christopher was wishing, with all of his heart, that it hadn't come to this. He walked down the dark hallway of the building, an abandoned thing that they were using only as a temporary headquarters. All the headquarters were temporary here.

Dark, old, dead. It smelled of mold here. Of decay and death. Christopher shuddered, longing for the clean hospital room as he walked along the wall. Longing for the comfortable smell of home, food scents drifting from a kitchen.

At home they didn't know he worked in a place like this. He, a man who was supposed to be saving lives, working to take…take them away. It made his stomach clench sickeningly into a hard ball of guilt. Christopher breathed through his nose, tried to make himself calm down.

The door ahead of him opened, startling him. A man he didn't know glared at him, "You are wanted in there, American."

He didn't bother to correct the man, to tell him he was from Canada, not the states. But the gentlemen seemed uninclined to listen to anything Christopher might say. The man slipped inside, keeping his eyes on the floor.

He jumped, when a slapping noise filled the room, and blood spattered violently against the floor. He looked up, eyes drifting to the smooth shoes of a working man, before landing on the battered and bruised face of the gentlemen tied to the chair.

That man's eyes were the most helpless eyes that Christopher had ever seen. Filled with a deep despair and a pleading that wrenched his heart. "Wh…what's going on?"

The man who was beating the captive didn't answer. A tall guy, with a scar over his left eye. His name…was Daisuke. It was the only name Christopher knew him by, everyone here was introduced using only their given names, a strange thing for the Japanese.

"Yoshida-kun, would you rather have me take in your little daughter?" Daisuke purred, face dangerously close to the bruised one of the captive. "I'm sure she'd crack much quicker than you have…"

"Don't…know anything…" The man sputtered, blood leaking with the spittle in his mouth. He was going to have lost a few teeth, the cut on his lip needed stitches. All information that ran through Christopher's head, all information that made him sick.

A daughter, this man had a daughter. A child, just like him.

"Who is this man?" Christopher asked. Adding silently the other question in his head. _Why is he here?_

"Yoshida." Daisuke said shortly, "He's the father of one of the children that hangs around the culprit. We were trying to get more information about the kid out of him, not his daughter of course, the boy that has captured the interest of the Highest…"

"I don't know that boy well." Yoshida pleaded, sobbing almost. "Please, he's just a normal little boy that hangs around with my daughter. That's all I know of him. I swear it."

"You MUST know more. Who are his parents, where does he live?" Daisuke snarled.

"We know all those things, Daisuke-kun…" Christopher whispered, pity for the captured man welling in his heart. Daisuke snorted, leaning back and eyeing Yoshida with something like intense disgust. "Just let the man go, Daisuke-kun. He doesn't know anything…his family's probably worried about him."

Relief, gratitude, in those eyes. Staring at Christopher, Yoshida burst into tears. "Oh thank you. Oh thank you so so so much."

"Well he was useful for one thing. It seems that the thing we can use to get to that boy are those children. Your daughter, Ayumi, Yoshida-kun." Daisuke said with an evil grin. Yoshida moaned, desperately staring at Daisuke.

"Now, Daisuke…" Christopher said, "We don't really need…"

Hope, so much hope, flared in his eyes. "Please, please just leave my family alone. Please, I'm begging you. We're good citizens. We're good."

"That's too bad, there's far too many good people in the world." Daisuke said, and he lifted the gun. Before Christopher could act, before he could truly register the terror in that man's wide eyes, the gun went off. Yoshida's eyes glazed over, his head fell back. His mouth opened wide, like he was screaming almost. In anguish.

"We'll dump the body somewhere on the wharfs. It'll be a little present for the family. An omen of things to come." Daisuke said, and he laughed. The man LAUGHED, and pushed passed Christopher and into the hallway. "That was fun of you, by the way. Getting his hopes up like that. Truly heartless, there's hope for you yet."

Christopher dropped to his knees, and for lack of anything else to do, held his face in his hands and cried.

_**

* * *

**__**Chapter end…**_

_**Got a butt-load of Aiggy and like NO ShinRan XD aside from teasing. Oops.**_

_**Hahaha, and you thought this chapter was irrelevant and just a filler didn't you?**_

_**Well it wasn't.**_

_**In case you didn't understand, the man that just got killed was Ayumi's father.**_

_**Uber sad I know. She doesn't even know about it yet, just happily eating curry with her friends D:**_

_**Anyways, reviews please.**_


	7. When Tears Fall

_Disclaimer:_

_Own, nope…sorry…_

_**Wow, so…the last chapter took a very dark turn, did it not?**_

_**Funny, I meant to end it with just being foreboding, and oops, there goes Ayumi's dad D:**_

_**Sorry Ayumi's dad. Didn't plan on killing you, Daisuke is a little uncontrollable…**_

_**Anyways, next chapter is going to be a depressing ball of BLAH**_

_**ALRIGHT**_

_**So so so sorry that this took so long XD I honestly screwed myself over, it's all my fault. I just did not want to write this, because it's SAD at least I hope it'll be. God that sounds weird D:**_

_**Pally- Lol, oh goodness, what is this? An update? Why yes, my dear friend. Yes it is XD. Finally right? Sorry about the wait…-tosses at-**_

_**Simp- Lol, finally get the courage to read and I dump this on its nose. Sorry about that.**_

_**XD- Lol, no, I didn't abandon it. Don't cry you, come on. -dusts off and hands chapter- See? It's all good X3**_

* * *

_Chapter Seven- When Tears Fall_

We were just finishing a game of hide and seek when Genta's parents called for him to come home. Shinichi apologized for keeping him so late, and we all hustled out the door to walk the children home. Official escorts, if you will.

We saw the children off, and headed home.

Normal. Everything, at that moment, was normal. We weren't even aware that something had happened. Weren't aware that someone's world was going to shatter.

* * *

I don't know what it was that had me feeling all on-edge that morning. So Ayumi wasn't in school, that played a very large part in it I'm sure actually. But I was all twitchy, and part of me knew it was ridiculous that I was. The little girl could have been a little sick maybe.

Then one day turned into two, and two turned into three. Call me paranoid, but I was a little freaked. So it was that I found myself surrounded by Shiho, Mitsuhiko, and Genta, during lunch on the third day Ayumi was not present at school.

"You…you don't think something awful happened to her…do you?" Mitsuhiko's young voice was high with worry, and I winced. That's exactly what I thought, but I knew that it had a lot to do with the fact that worst-case scenarios often were what I ended up running headlong into.

"I'm sure she's alright." Shiho spoke calmly, in a soothing tone of voice. Still, I could tell from the way she was standing behind me, tense, her hand squeezing my shoulder, that she didn't believe the words coming from her mouth.

Mitsuhiko made a small whimpering noise, and I couldn't help but wonder, suddenly, how the boy was dealing with his own brush with death from last year. I felt awful, suddenly, because I hadn't paused to ask the child how he was doing recently. If he was having nightmares.

I mean, the kid was SHOT, most kids don't have to suffer through that, and by the time he got to the hospital they were almost certain he was dead. If it hadn't been for that surgeon, then he WOULD be dead right now.

I wondered if the thin boy even knew this, was even half aware of it…something told me he was. Maybe it was because of the way Genta easily sat back down, chatting about how she probably had a cold and it would be best to call her, while Mitsuhiko still stood standing at the front of my desk.

"I have a bad feeling…" Mitsuhiko said, and I nearly winced at the words. The child wasn't nearly as keyed up on paranoia as Shinichi and I…right? But then, Shinichi told me once that he was never nearly so hyper-aware of the world until he was almost killed by the organization.

So it stood to reason…

I twitched, my guts knotting. Was I psyching myself out? Or did I have my own sense of foreboding now? Good god, I was nearly a nervous wreck. I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingers in an attempt to clear my head.

"I could call her!" Mitsuhiko said brightly.

"WE could call her!" Genta corrected a little irritably. I nodded my head, and stood up. Shiho slowly followed after us as we darted into the cloakroom for some privacy. I heard Mitsuhiko snap his phone open, and listened to him press the buttons.

"Put it on speaker phone, Mitsuhiko…" I said, for the sake of the rest of the people in the room who didn't have my sharp hearing. The boy pressed the button, and the sound of the ringing phone was suddenly clear in the small closet.

We stood stock still, waiting for the line to be picked up. After a moment an answer came, there was a small sound that was like a sob, and then the receiver was put back down. The line went dead immediately, and we all stood frozen.

"What…what was that about?" Mitsuhiko asked, his tone trembling. I found Shiho's hand in mine, she squeezed it so hard that I almost yanked it away. I could tell she was freaked, nervous, worried. I was too.

"Let's see what's up." I suggested, deciding to keep calm. Even though my stomach was twisting with worry, it wouldn't do Ayumi much good if I just freaked out in here right? So I pulled Shiho out, and even though there was still half a day of class left, the four of us darted into the hallway.

"My parents are going to be very unhappy…" Mitsuhiko said, I think it was more out of nerves than reluctance to go. A small fact stated because he was a bundle of keyed up energy. I nodded my head, not really knowing what else to say or do, and we pushed our way outside.

The school yard was filled with children. I winced, delightful, we'd have to make sure a teacher didn't spot us leaving.

"Stick to the shadows." I said, my mind churning. It was funny, really, I found myself thinking like I would if I had suddenly been put in charge of the Flock. Something that's never happened, thank god. I'm not a good leader, I don't think. "It's harder for people to spot us there."

"How do you know that if you're blind, Iggy?" Genta asked, childish curiosity bursting in the words. I blinked, staring blankly ahead for a few seconds. Not that I could stare any other way, since I can't see anything…

"I just…past…Genta, now is not the time." I said, flustered a little. Shiho made a nervous sounding chuckle at my expense. Was Genta the only one who wasn't feeling as if he was walking on the razor's edge between a full paranoia freak out right now?

We got out of the school yard, and even though we were two blocks away I was still half expecting some teacher to come running after us screaming 'Hey you kids! Get back here!', but all was quiet. Well, minus all the noises of people walking, cars running, horns honking.

Ah, city life.

The walk seemed to take us hours, and it was all I could do not to break into a run. But that would attract attention to our already odd group, and I didn't want any adults ordering us to turn around and return back home.

The street with Ayumi's apartment was much quieter than the rest of the city, though we ended up having to run at top speed across the road because everyone was so freaked that we couldn't think straight and find a crosswalk. Normally I'd rely on Shiho for that, but she was…

I think she was beside herself with worry. I never realized how much Ayumi meant to her, and I wondered if it had anything to do with her sister. I hadn't heard the story from Shiho herself, it was a sore subject, and I didn't want to bring it up to her. But Shinichi told me that the organization had killed her…

Maybe she had taken Ayumi in as a younger sister…if so, I could see how she would be so worried about her. I wondered what Shinichi would think of us all, as we scrambled into the main apartment building, and Mitsuhiko and Genta started arguing about which number was Ayumi's.

Would he think we were being idiots? Over paranoid fools even?

After all…it wasn't as if this was something most people did. Ayumi could very well be sick. There could be nothing wrong at all. But that nagging feeling in my gut…and part of me knew that Shiho wouldn't be able to think straight until we made SURE Ayumi was alright.

In my experience, it's always, ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.

I pulled her close to me, wrapped my arms around her because I didn't care if people saw. I just wanted her to know that I was worried about her, and the only way I could do that without speaking the words aloud was to hold her. So I did.

She shuddered in my grip, and I fought the urge to scream at Mitsuhiko and Genta. I pressed my head to Shiho's, and I was entirely unsure as to whether it was her, or me I was talking to when I said, "Stay calm. Just stay calm."

She nodded, and I found it incredibly ridiculous, the thought of ever having to order Shiho of all people to remain calm. But I wasn't talking about outwardly, I was talking about inwardly. I knew Shiho, she was my other half, the person I loved more than anything in this world. I could sense her feelings, and I knew that she was terrified right now. Even if she wasn't showing it, and I'm sure she wasn't, she was utterly terrified.

"This way!" Mitsuhiko yelled, snapping me from my moment. I twined Shiho's fingers into mine, and we both headed up the stairs. I abandoned the thing of not running, and we were all soon tearing our way up the stairs.

We ran clear passed her door, in our panic. Though I guess I could have hardly helped as much. We ended up getting told as much by Shiho, her voice was cold and clinical. Though she was squeezing the life out of my hand, she was still freaked, and I knew it.

We turned back around and stood at the door for a few moments. I don't know what made us hesitate. Suddenly we just stopped, and there was a feeling that came over all of us. Like we needed to pause, to calm down before busting the door down in our panic.

Nervously, Genta stepped forward. I silently cheered the boy on, listening as he knocked on the door. I'm sure we were quite the sight, four children standing there, expecting the worst. Even Genta seemed worried now, probably keyed up because of our nervous energy.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. With agonizing slowness, and I mean this in a completely irritated way. It was like the person behind it wanted to keep us in suspense. There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Mitsuhiko saved our asses.

"Ah, Yoshida-san…" He said, his tone polite and genuine. "We…ah…we were all…"

"Ayumi's alright, isn't she?" Genta barreled over the boy, "We…"

"We've just been worried, because Ayumi-chan hasn't been in school." Shiho said, I nodded mutely, suddenly finding it hard to talk. I was unable to move, my heart hammering with fear in my chest. I'm attuned to emotion, much more than other people are. It's sort of a compensation for my loss of sight.

The grief was wafting off this woman. Slamming into me so hard that it took my breath away. I wanted to CRY, to break down and bawl, just because of the amount of pain I was getting from this woman. It was like a little piece of her world had broken.

"Oh…" Yoshida said, her tone was broken, soft. Almost dead. I flinched, and felt Shiho's grip somehow tighten. I couldn't feel the tips of my fingers anymore, but I hardly cared. I suddenly wanted to run away. To flee from this place. There was a hesitation from the woman, and she suddenly stepped aside, "Please…come in…it'll be good for Ayumi to see some friends."

"Something's wrong…" Shiho whispered, so quietly that I don't think I would have heard it had it not been for my abilities. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and hesitated before coming inside with the boys and Shiho.

There was an atmosphere that made even the two boys fall silent. We sat on the couch, and I was aware of how awkward everyone felt, how we were all relieved that Ayumi wasn't dead, but suddenly very very aware that something was horribly wrong.

I heard her footsteps before she was suddenly slammed into Shiho and I. I blinked, startled, as Ayumi sobbed on the girl. Shiho unwrapped her fingers from mine, and was suddenly holding the small girl. I could hear her whispering softly, trying to soothe the girl.

Ayumi's mother remained standing behind us. I could sense her there, and I almost stood up and started to scream at her. To beg her to tell us what was wrong. Don't make her daughter do it, damn it. Whatever heartbreaking thing had happened, it was that woman's job to tear those words out. Genta and Mitsuhiko were suddenly with Shiho, and I pressed myself into our little group.

The question we were all dreading to say…it was there. Thick in the air, like some sort of smoke. I felt like I was choking on it, but I couldn't say it. Ayumi's mother sat with us suddenly, somehow managed to pull all of us into her arms, and she started to sob.

"Otou-san…" Ayumi wailed, a broken sound that tore from her throat. It broke my heart, it broke my heart the way she spoke that word. Because I could hear the pain in it, I felt something tear through my throat, and realized that I was sobbing. "Otou-san is dead."

Ayumi's mother sobbed, and I heard Shiho make a sharp intake of breath. Genta didn't say anything, but I felt the bigger boy's hug tighten around Ayumi. Mitsuhiko made a choking noise, and I wondered if he was crying like I was.

I never met the man, but the pain…it was so close. I was being drowned in it all. I found the hands of both Ayumi, and her mother, and we all stood there. A closed bundle of children, and one woman who had lost the man she loved.

It was like, if we stepped away from each other, the two of them would somehow fall apart. Into thousands of unfixable pieces. The pain they were feeling, I could feel it and it hurt. I heard Shiho whispering soft things, I don't even know if they were real words. Just that she was repeating herself, and that there were tears, and I don't know if I was crying just because of the empathy, or because I couldn't take the fact that one of our kids was hurting.

I was so terribly aware…of the fact that this was not something that we could fix.

* * *

I opened the door, and slipped inside. It was late, we ended up staying with Ayumi and her mother until the sun went down. And then we walked both Mitsuhiko and Genta home. Shiho was still with me, I was walking with my arms wrapped around her waist, so that she had to walk backwards.

I hardly cared, I needed someone to hold on to.

"Are you alright?" She said, her tone was soft. It's surprising, because Shiho really doesn't show much emotion, but I could tell from the slightest inflection in her tone, which I once described as cold, that told me that while she couldn't express it, she still felt.

"It was too much…" I choked out. It wasn't just that, it was the knowledge of the fact that what I could feel in that house, the grief from both Ayumi and her mom, it was only a small taste of the hurt they were feeling. A simple ability to sense what was going on. That wasn't even half of it, and the mere knowledge that it was worse took my breath away.

Losing someone you love…someone who was your family…I buried my face in the crook of Shiho's shoulder, and let out a shaky sounding sigh. I didn't realize it, but I was chanting at her. "Don't leave me, please don't leave me…"

"I won't…" She whispered. I remembered the time I was bleeding to death in her arms, the time where the color red had been so very dominant, and a shudder rushed through me. The desperation, the pain she felt…

If we lost each other, would our pain be worse? Would it be the same as Yoshida's? I didn't want to find out. Not ever. I shuddered, trembled, the weight of that grief still heavy on my shoulders like a thick blanket.

"Sheesh, what took you so long? I'm half starved to death and Ran wouldn't…" Shinichi's voice cut off sharply, and I stiffened a little. Another person, welcomed into our little circle of grief. How fantastic. The detective was silent for a few moments, before he said, "What happened?"

"Ayumi's father is dead." I said. I knew, somehow, that Shinichi grimaced. This was different than a regular murder. This was close, this was around home. Shiho and I both wandered into the living room, and I crawled up onto the couch and was quickly joined by Shiho.

Silence spread between us. I heard Shinichi sigh, I knew, somehow, that his mind was burning with questions. Details he wanted, but something in the air made him hesitate. I was glad he was able to read that, I hadn't asked Yoshida for details.

I didn't have the heart to.

"I'll call Megure…" Shinichi said, his tone was soft, but there was a hard edge to it. Professional, almost. I suddenly envied him for his ability to shove his emotions into a little box, to lock away the key. I heard Shiho sigh softly.

He left the room, and we were alone.

I could hear the beating of her heart, and the ticking of the clock. I was aware, suddenly, that I was exhausted. So exhausted that I could hardly keep my eyes open. I didn't fight sleep. I let it come, and I rested my head against Shiho's shoulder, and vanished into blissful unconsciousness…

Or…perhaps, not so blissful.

* * *

The room was filled with people. All rambling in some language that I couldn't understand. I was standing next to somebody, and he was mumbling something under his breath like a phone number that needed to be memorized. These words alone, I could understand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He said them over and over. A monotonous loop, playing like a record. I would have screamed for him to shut up, but I was floored because of the fact that…I could see. Everything, every one.

The room was shaped like a bowl, and we were on the ground in the center of this bowl. Almost like a stadium, but the floor we were on contained a gurney. I remembered hearing once, I think maybe Shinichi randomly mentioned it, that in the old days people used to view surgery like it had been a spectator sport.

I could see this with a vivid clarity that was stunning. Jaw-dropping. Each person in the room was decked out in black clothing, almost as if they were lined up for a funeral of some sort. One woman, in the front, had a veil over her face. She was smiling, a wicked smile that sent chills running down my spine. It was so clear…

Especially the color red.

This was obvious to me. It was everywhere, in the tiniest of places. Yet it seemed to jump out at me, almost as if it was glowing. The stitching on one man's black jacket, a woman's scarf with red darting through the inky darkness. The lipstick on the scary-woman's lips. The droplets spattered against the high walls of our little bowl. A single rose, gripped in the hand of a child. I watched, with something like morbid fascination, as she pressed her thumb hard against the thorn, and bright red blood popped up on her ivory skin.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The man next to me continued to chant, his words broken every now and again by a sob. I turned to look at him, and found myself fascinated at the little veins on his eyes. Bright red, seeming to glow in the darkness.

"What are you sorry for?" I finally said, because I couldn't stand not to ask. The man jerked, eyes darting to me, as if he hadn't expected me to speak at all, let alone ask this question.

"Life ends, it should be left at that." He said, and I blinked, confusion flooding me. "Those that are brought back are tainted, death is the end, the beginning. To retrieve the dead from beyond, damages the soul."

I opened my mouth to protest, when suddenly, everybody vanished. I was the only person standing in the center of the room, and there was somehow more red than ever before. Stains of it, splattered in each seat that lined the wall, spattered against the wall. Only the barest hint of gray even shone through. The gurney was strangely white, pristine against the gorey background.

"To retrieve the dead from beyond damages the soul…" The words made me whirl. My usually useless eyes pin-pointing the person who spoke easily. He was dark, a black blot against the red background. Or was it a he? I was suddenly unsure, even the voice seemed off-kilter, like it was filtered somehow. "He truly believes those words, you know."

"Who the hell are you?" I said, feeling the urge to run crash into me like a tidal wave. I stepped backwards, my stomach heaved at the sickening feel of something that wasn't just blood underfoot. "What happened to all those people?"

"The Catalyst proved too much for them." The stranger said, smiling. I saw the flash of teeth, within the cowels of his cloak. Which I suddenly realized, with a shudder, was eerily similar to the Grim Reaper. "It destroyed them. Pathetic fools, they thought they were watching a game, when really the game was watching them."

"The Catalyst…" I said, stepping back again. Great thing about psycho's, keep em' talking, and sometimes you find a way to bolt. My aim was the window that I spotted, I remembered, above the crowd of people.

"Something that causes a reaction, in this case, the end of the world." The person intoned, like repeating something they'd been forced to memorize. "Or, at least, gives us the chance to be the ones who start such a thing."

"So…" I started, but was cut short when the door suddenly slid open. I blinked, confusion flooding me so completely that any other thought was out the window. I stared, open mouthed, as someone strode toward me over the blood spattered ground.

I was slammed into the wall, I hadn't even been aware that the person was my opponent. I felt hands at my throat, dark eyes burned into my own. I heard laughter from the stranger, high-keening laughter. It made me sick to my stomach.

"I'll kill you." The person snarled at me, I choked. I believed him, more than I believed anything he'd ever told me before. "I'll kill you."

"F-Fang…" I swallowed. His eyes shone red suddenly, like they were reflecting some light, something burned. An agony so strong that it felt a million times worse than the time I shrunk, or even had the stone burn it's destructive path through my chest.

"What you dream…" The man hissed in my ears, and the sound of blood splashing against the wall, of something exploding hit my ears. Was that my neck breaking maybe? But why was there blood? I was dizzy, unable to comprehend anything, "Is what will be…"

* * *

Am I an idiot, for not immediately contacting Max about the dream? I didn't, and still hadn't at that point. I was standing at the funeral, my head bent down. Shuddering because we were all dressed in black, both reminded of the reason I happened to be a child now, and the horrifying dream.

The dream where Fang had been hell bent on ending my life. Desperate even.

I tried telling myself it was just a dream. That I needed to think rationally. That the words at the end matched Max's because I'd been so keyed up about it, that I remembered it. I tried telling myself that. But I couldn't shake it.

I wanted to talk to Fang, but Hattori had left and I was afraid that if I asked Shinichi for his number I'd get drilled with questions. A very probable scenario with Shinichi. I wasn't in the mood for questions, I didn't want my ideas to sound stupid.

I think Shiho knew something was up, but she wasn't asking. I appreciated it, I really did. The fact that when I woke I was nearly in a blind panic, with my own hands wrapped around my throat as if I expected Fang's hands to be there…

But why Fang? Why would Fang EVER want to hurt me?

In Max's dream…he'd had a knife. Did that mean that something was up with him? That…but no, I trusted Fang with my life. I couldn't imagine him trying to kill us, but the dream had been so vivid. So real, that when I woke I could still smell the blood from that room in the air.

That wasn't the only thing disturbing me.

Those other words he said, the ones about a soul being damaged if it was brought back. Tainted…was…was I tainted? Or was I just secretly afraid that I was? It was confusing, it made my head swim like someone had joyously tied me to a merry-go-round and made me sit on the thing for hours.

I jerked, suddenly, started with such violence that I almost dragged Shiho and I both to the ground. She made a small sound, and managed to be the one who kept the both of us standing up. I winced, not really knowing why I jerked out of my inward thinking.

"Are you alright?" She said, her tone soft, spoken in barely a whisper. I paused for a moment. That was a weighted question, but I finally managed to nod my head a bit, deciding that she was asking about the intense grief in the air. "You could have stayed home…"

"I didn't want to do that…" I said, I couldn't have stayed away. Not with Ayumi expecting our support. She was talking to Ran now, hushed words that were filled with the watery sound of tears. They'd only recently lowered the man's ashes into the ground.

He'd been cremated, despite the fact that the man wanted an open casket. This fact alone testified to the violence of the crime. Ayumi's father had been murdered, and Shinichi was working nonstop to try to find even the smallest of leads.

None of us said it, none of us spoke it aloud, but we were all terrified as to how well the crime was covered. How there wasn't even a trace of the bullet in the skull, because the body had been apparently autopsied even before it was discovered.

None of us dared to acknowledge it, but it seemed a lot like something They would do.

Could They be back? Or worse, was it someone who was BETTER than that group? More sinister? I shuddered lightly, glad for the fact that it was cloudy out. Somebody started to sing, and I realized that people were getting ready to head back to their cars.

Tears were heard, sobs rent the air. I pressed myself to Shiho, found myself wandering with the crowd. I wanted to distract myself with thought, to not feel pain. Still, it was like somebody stabbed my heart when I heard Ayumi start screaming.

"I don't want to say goodbye! I don't want to say goodbye!" A wailed scream, lifting the air. Of a broken hearted girl, who just lost the person who was supposed to have a hand in raising her. Her father, gone for forever. I shut my eyes.

The rain started to fall.

* * *

_**GOOD GOD STREAKZ!**_

_**XD FINALLY right? Well that was a bit sad and difficult to get through. Though the dream part certainly made things a bit more interesting. What, more foreshadowing through nightmares Streaky? Why yes, yes there is XD**_

_**Will there be more? And the Catalyst has been mentioned to a main character! Huzzah! And WHAT THE HELL IS WITH FANG!**_

_**I totally know XD but I'm not tellin' -cackle-**_

_**Review please, Streaky hopes you're all still reading.**_


	8. It's Raining Cats

_Disclaimer;_

_I don't own anything XD Well, I mean I own stuff but…you know what just read._

_**Well this is going to be another kind of filler-ish chapter.**_

_**And I'm introducing a new character, one that will probably pop up quite a bit in the future.**_

_**There's a reason for it. -sigh- If you want to know this reason read the note at the bottom of the chapter, mmkay?**_

_**Em Phantom- Lolol, don't worry. I wasn't doubting you! Good to hear from ya though! C: Yeah, death chapters are tough to write. And apparently so are chapters after death chapters ehehehe -glances at long overdue update-**_

_**XD - oh dear, the heart is a fairly vital organ to have. LOL, just kidding, I'm sure you have one. Next chapter's a bit random, Streaky trying to work her way through something with writing like the derp she is. Sorry, LOL.**_

_**Aleathiel Elendil- Jajaja, ISN'T Fang such a creepy creep in these dreams? What's up with that? Well I know, XD but you don't. BWAHAHAHAHA! -shotdead-**_

_**Pally- LOL these chapters are NORMAL size fool. The last chapters of Blind Sided were so long because that was all during the climax of the story ahahahaha.**_

_**spicefires992- This review -points- Right there, MY FAVORITE REVIEW EVER. Thank you soooo much. Ahahaha I laughed SO hard at this. And not only that, it just made my day. So unique, lolol, I've never had my writing described in this way. Lol, I read this and it makes me happy inside. XD I just…ahahha, I wish would accept the hearts. Because I am flinging them at you.**_

* * *

_**Chapter Eight- It's Raining Cats**_

To say that the week that followed all of that…was hard…would be a bit of an understatement I suppose. Everybody was walking on glass it seemed, terrified that we'd say or do something stupid that would make Ayumi cry.

Death is…such a difficult thing to describe. To face.

The only thing I had was a creepy ass dream to distract me from it. Joyous right? Yeah, just super fantastical. Because THAT makes everything a kajillion times better, don't you know it. Being able to zone out thinking of the way in your dreams your brother tried to freaking murder you, oh yes, the epitome of delightful distractions that one.

"Are you alright?" Shinichi's voice startled me from my zone out, "You're scowling at your cereal like it insulted you or something…"

"Cereal IS insulting. It requires no cooking, and thus I refuse to acknowledge it as a proper breakfast food." I said, scowling at my adopted brother a bit and rolling my eyes. Shinichi snickered as if he found this immensely amusing. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just recalling a little something you told me about eating rats. This qualifies as proper breakfast food but not cereal now?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes, you cook rat. You do not cook cereal." I said. Don't judge, rat could be very tasty cooked with the right herbs and spices. And for the right amount of time over the fire. Not a five star meal, hell no, but heck, don't knock it til' you try it.

That being said, please don't go trap a rat in your yard and attempt to eat it. I've done it before really only because there was no other option. So you know…don't do that. You don't know how long to cook it and all that stuff.

"Oh? What about oatmeal?" Shinichi said. I blinked.

"Well oatmeal you cook, oatmeal is an exception to the rule." I stated calmly.

"Are you two both seriously conversing about CEREAL?" Shiho queried from the doorway. I jumped off my chair and nearly tackled her at the door. She made a small sound of surprise, and I could imagine why I supposed. "Nice to see you too?"

"Shinichi bores me with his morning talk." I said, ignoring the insulted protest the detective gave behind me. "Let's…go do something today that doesn't involve arrogant detectives who question my knowledge about food stuffs."

"I didn't question anything." Shinichi snorted, and I merely rolled my eyes. The detective heaved something of an irritated sigh in the corner and I continued with my suggestion to Shiho by tugging her along.

"Iggy…" She said, though her tone had a slight tinge of amusement behind it. I only flashed her a quick smile, heading into the living room and pausing a bit as I listened to Shinichi get up and follow us. "Kudou-kun, I'm suspecting that he meant this as a date of sorts."

"And let two CHILDREN go out alone?" There was more than a little mischief in his tone, and I felt Shiho turn. I glowered a little, really, of all the people to tease me about the fact that I happened to be a child. Shinichi let out a nervous laugh, "Oi, oi Haibara…"

"We're just going for a walk. Not like anybody will kidnap us." I said dryly, in response to these words I heard three sharp knocking sounds, Shinichi's fist against something wooden. I arched an eyebrow in his direction.

"Knock on wood." He said, in a manner that I can only assume was followed with a shrug. The words were spoken almost casually, but there was a slight edge to them. Right, I was probably the last person who should be setting up a jinx like that. "You do realize that it's raining cats and dogs out there?"

"So? You scared of rain?" I was stubborn now, I felt like I needed to get out of the house like crazy. Silence met my words, and I sighed. Even Shiho seemed reluctant now. She was backing up Shinichi, traitor.

I shrugged my shoulders, annoyed now, and grabbed my coat. Shiho sighed a little, and I snorted and hunched over. Why did she have to sigh like THAT. It wasn't like I was being overly stubborn or anything stupid like that…

Shut up you. I didn't ask your opinion.

"Well alright, whatever." I said, I knew I was being overly dramatic and, yes, stubborn. Fine, I admit it. Still, I suddenly felt like I NEEDED to leave this house, like I was suffocating. "I need to get out anyways. I'll see you later."

I didn't wait for them to say anything, I knew they were probably wondering what my problem was. Hell, I was wondering what was up. Still, I ducked outside and pulled the hood of my coat up over my head. They were right, it was raining.

Hard.

I grimaced a little as I walked down the sidewalk, shoving my hands into my pockets and zoning out a little as I moved. The city smelled wet, and it was almost a sickening sort of scent that it brought on. Like garbage that's been soaked or something.

I sighed, I didn't mind living in Beika. In fact, I was getting used to this place as "home". Still, part of me longed to go for a fly every now and again, or even just go into the mountains and get away from this place. Maybe I could get Agasa to drag us up into the mountains.

I chuckled a little ruefully to myself at that. I used to despise the thought of being dragged up there, and now I was trying to think of a way to ask the old scientist if he would kindly get me out of this city every now and again.

I sighed, hunching over a little as I walked aimlessly down the sidewalk. I didn't have a destination or anything, I was just wandering around. I heaved another sigh, wondering if I maybe should turn back and apologize to Shinichi and Shiho both for being a royal asshat.

You know the funny thing about life, is that you don't expect certain things to happen to you. There are just some things that you can NEVER see coming, and hell, let's face it. It never helps to "see things coming" when you happened to be…well, blind.

I mean, seriously, there are just things you don't expect. Things that you never think will happen to you in a million years, even trying to think that something will happen to you.

Getting dive bombed by a CAT, is one of those things.

One second I'm walking along. Tra-la-la, minding my own little bird kid business, when something VERY furry was suddenly on my face. It hit me with enough force that I was reeling backwards, and slamming very hard on my butt on the wet concrete.

A wild yowl sounded from said thing that just slammed into my face, and I winced, expecting claws to be viciously raked through my facemeat. Instead the furry, and rather wet, bundle slid down into my lap, where I automatically caught the small creature, and blinked a bit in surprise.

It was trembling in my arms, and suddenly trying to burrow its way into my coat, probably to escape the torrential downpour. I could sense that he was gray in color, and rather round and plump if you asked me. Still, I opened my coat a bit, letting the cat squirm his way into warmth and safety.

Uh…

What just happened?

"Hey! Little boy!" Someone's harsh words sounded nearby, and I blinked. The cat that was now hiding in my coat stiffened, and I stayed very still where I was. Lifting my face in the direction of the voice. "Have you seen a cat run by here?"

The cat shuddered, in a way that seemed almost as if it could understand his words. I blinked again, and in the most dry tone I could manage, which is like…the freaking Sahara dry or something, I said, "I didn't SEE anything, Oji-san. I'm blind."

"Stupid fur ball…" The man snarled, sounding enraged. I silently willed the cat that was hiding out in my coat to remain still, while I kept sitting like a moron on the rainy sidewalk. Yup, nothing strange about that at all.

"Why are you looking for a cat, Oji-san?" I asked, lifting my voice up and injecting it with as much childish innocence as I could muster. The man paused, seeming to remember me only just after I said these words.

"It's supposed to be used for medicine." The man said, I blinked, my protectiveness over the small creature suddenly growing at these words. Animal testing eh? Well then, this cat was not going anywhere near this creep.

Maybe it was cause…well, I'd BEEN through that, or something similar. No way in hell was I going to even turn over a little kitty cat to be subject to a life of experimentation and the like. Nope, not gonna happen folks.

Not while I still have memories of being shoved in a dog crate vivid in my head. I don't care WHAT you say. That it is better to test on animals than people, to which Total would be severely offended in case you were wondering, I just won't do it.

Call it moral sympathy.

"Little boy…why are you sitting on the sidewalk?" The guy asked me, something sly in his tone. I scowled at him. Okay, so if he figured out I had the cat I'd just punch him in the face. Simple as that. Really, just because I LOOKED like a little kid did not mean I couldn't break his nose.

"I'm playin' in the mud puddle." I said, giving him a grin that could be more closely attributed to a snarl I'm sure. I'm sorry, sometimes I fail at acting. Playing nice with someone that I decided I did not trust, this was one of those things.

"Ooooh? And what do you have in your coat?" The man SNEERED these words. Busted. I leaped to my feet in one movement, cupping the cat to my side with one hand and swinging with the other. I gave a rather satisfied little yelp when my fist collided with the guy's cheek.

S C O R E! For the blind bird kid!

I spun as soon as I did this, adjusting my hold on the cat, which gave off a slightly surprised sounding meow as I did this. I darted down the street, ducking through people and laughing wildly. Okay, I have to admit, I was almost enjoying this.

Let's face it, I've been practically PRAYING for action. And with me and Shinichi action often came in a dead person. This was a lovely change, one that I could deal with quite well. I wrapped both my arms protectively around the bundle in my coat, feeling the cat's rapid intake of breath pick up speed as I ran through the crowd.

A hand snagged the back of my hood. Eff.

Whoever grabbed me let go almost immediately because I fell on my back on the sidewalk. I wheezed, the breath driven from my body effectively. Idiot, I should have realized the guy had comrades! I could hear the first person I punched panting heavily, and I hoped severely that his jaw was broken.

"Little BRAT!" The guy who I hit snarled these words. The other person who just jerked a kid off his feet stayed completely silent, reaching for my jacket to try and tear it away. Meanwhile people in the street were pausing, but not doing anything.

Ah cities, you gotta love em. Little kid getting mugged? Huh, interesting, I saw some pigeons the other day…

Same ol' same ol', am I right? I grit my teeth, and, sending a silent apology to the kitty, I rolled. The cat squeaked a bit as I was momentarily on top of the creature, but my weight vanished quickly enough to avoid crushing him or something like that.

"Give us the cat, boy." The man who jerked me off my feet said this. I shook my head, stepping backwards and feeling the cold and wet metal of a pole behind my back. Oh joy. I couldn't even snap out my wings now.

"Mrreow…" The cat in my jacket said, if I didn't know any better I'd say he sounded rather pleading. I cradled him to my chest. No way in hell was I letting these people get him. This cat was MY cat now, as childish and stupid as that might sound.

They couldn't have my new little buddy.

"Iggy-kun?" I blinked, my eyes widening a little bit as I heard the familiar voice in the crowd. My head turned that way immediately, relief flooded through me. Haha, YES!

"Takagi-keiji!" I yelled, I knew he knew about me. He was one of the people that had been informed of everything after the Organization ended up getting knocked on its big butt. Still, I couldn't help but add the almost childish, "These people are trying to steal my cat!"

"K-Keiji?" The man I hit muttered this, I snickered. Maybe they could have got me about the cat thing, but I DID end up getting thrown onto the ground, something several people saw. And with a cop around these people were more than likely to speak up.

"Sorry, misunderstanding." The man who yanked me off my feet muttered this, before adding in a lower tone of voice, "Give it up, there's nothing we can do about this right now."

Hell yes there was nothing you could do. I win dude, I always win. I stuck my tongue out in their direction, confident that my aim would be true enough to get both of the creeps. No kitty cats for you today, buttheads.

They left, and I heaved a sigh of relief, rolling my shoulders and giving Takagi a smile as the man stepped closer to me. "Arigatou, Takagi-keiji!"

"No problem…" Takagi said, though he sounded almost confused. Not that I blamed him, this whole scenario was a little bit on the strange side if you asked me. He knelt down to my level, peering at the cat that I had in my jacket. "He's cute, Iggy-kun."

"He jumped on my face." I said this a little flatly, but I didn't deny it. I ran my fingers along the cat's head, and the creature let out a little purr of delight and pressed his nose against the center of my hand. My fingers ran along his ears, and I blinked a little as they brushed the tip of his left ear. It was bent back a little at the tip, odd.

"So he's NOT really yours then." Takagi said, though he sounded more amused than anything else. I cuddled the cat protectively to my chest, and his purring grew a bit louder at this. Takagi chuckled and I scowled at him.

"What? You think I'm a big softie?" I asked, trying to sound irritated.

"Yes." Takagi said, the honesty in his tone made me nearly tip over. I heaved a small sigh and he laughed. "Don't feel bad about it Iggy-kun, kindness isn't exactly something a person should be ashamed over."

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, I blinked and added, a little sheepishly. "You…ah…wouldn't mind leading me back to Shinichi-niichan's, would you? I seem to have gotten a bit turned around…you know, what with running around protecting a cat."

"Sure." Takagi sounded even more amused than before, and I grumbled to myself a bit as I followed after him. I jumped in the front seat of his car, and the cat buried his face in the crook of my elbow, his purrs suddenly drying up.

Hm, didn't like cars. Though he didn't squirm against me or anything like that. If anything he seemed to be begging me for comfort. I absently stroked his head, trying to reassure the little creature as we smoothly went into motion.

"What are you going to do with him?" Takagi queried a little, "Do you think Kudou-kun will let you keep him? I'd take him for you, but I'm really more of a dog person than a cat person, ahahaha…"

I blinked, and snorted a bit.

"Who says HE'S the boss. If I want to keep a pet cat I can keep a pet cat. I don't really care what he has to say on the matter. Mikey is my new comrade. We have things in common." I said this confidently and heard Takagi chuckle.

"Mikey?" He queried. Mikey's ears twitched, as if in response to his name. I felt them moving delicately beneath my fingers, but he didn't lift his head. He kept it buried in my elbow as if to say: _'Nope, not coming out until this crazy contraption stops moving around.'_

"What am I supposed to do? Call him The Cat, for the rest of his life? He needed a name." I said, shrugging my shoulders. And Mikey…suited him somehow. It was cute, but it was also a bit tough as well. This little guy, he was a survivor, like me.

"Haha…" Takagi laughed, then trailed off. "Oh, Iggy-kun, have you heard from Total-kun as of late?"

"Total?" I blinked a little, surprised by the curiosity in the police detective's tone. I tipped my head to one side. "No, I'm sorry…why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering how he's been." Takagi said this with something of a nervous laugh. "You wouldn't mind telling him that I said hello, the next time you call Max-san and the other's, ne?"

"Sure, whatever." I said, shrugging my shoulders. The car came to a stop and I jumped out, covering Mikey's head with my jacket once more before pausing. "Thanks, Takagi-keiji, for popping up when you did back there."

"It's alright, ehehehe. I'll be seeing you around sometime soon surely." Takagi's tone was light, albeit there was a slightly nervous edge to it at these words. I laughed, rolling my eyes. He was right, living with Shinichi almost guaranteed that I'd be running into the homicide department sometime soon.

"Say hello to Satou-keiji for me!" I shouted, he sputtered a bit at that, but I was running up the sidewalk and ducking inside the house. I heaved something of a sigh, shedding my jacket while still holding Mikey under my arm.

He was an oddly compliant cat, if you asked me. Most of them would have been squirming around to get out of my arms, but he was staying very relaxed in my grip at the moment. And as I wrapped my arms around him, and pressed him against my chest, he started to purr contentedly again.

Though I could tell, from the way he was sitting in my arms, that he wanted to look around the house. I laughed, petting him.

"Yeesh, go for a long enough walk? I was going to call the police or something…" Shinichi's voice trailed off as he came into the room. For a moment I just stood there, imagining that the detective was staring at me. "Where'd you get the cat?"

He said this almost warily, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"You said it was raining cats and dogs. He fell on me." I said, actually that wasn't a lie, funny as it sounds. Shinichi snorted, coming closer and plucking poor Mikey from my arms. The cat's tail flipped through the air, brushing my nose as he flicked it back and forth. I smothered a sneeze.

"Iggy, I am NOT-" Shinichi started, but I snatched Mikey back from him and glowered in his direction.

"I can have a cat." I said haughtily, "He'll be fine, and you know we have enough money to feed him. So don't even complain to me about this cat Shinichi. Mikey stays."

"You NAMED it." Shinichi said, exasperated.

"Honestly, why do people think that's so weird. Don't MOST people name their pets? Or is it some weird thing in Japan to just call your animals Cat or Dog all the time? Yeesh." I stroked Mikey between the ears fondly, before setting the cat down. He padded away, probably going to check out the house.

"You're attached to it." Shinichi muttered.

"Him." I said, "And no I'm not, he just needs a home, and I'm not about to dump a poor helpless kitty cat on the street."

"Kitty cat?" Shinichi repeated, sounding oh so amused. I waved him off, following, rolling my eyes and sitting on the chair. He snorted softly, before settling down in the couch across from me. Mikey jumped up next to me after searching around for a bit, purring and pressing himself against me.

"You cannot deny…" I said, "That you want to keep this cat."

"He is cute." Shinichi muttered, almost grudgingly. "Fine, whatever Iggy, we can have the cat. But you better think of putting something over Fishy-san's bowl, unless you want Mikey-kun to eat him for breakfast. How would you explain THAT to the detective boys?"

"Survival of the fittest?" Shiho's voice startled me, I hadn't realized she was still here. She sat next to me, lifting up Mikey and setting him on our laps. I smiled, "Hello there, Mikey-san."

"Everybody loves him." I said, surprised because I was technically admitting I did too. But there was something almost instantly likeable about the cat. Maybe it was the fact that he went through something so similar to me. Maybe it was just his personality, but I really did like this cat.

"Alright, alright, I SAID you could keep him." Shinichi said, sounding amused. Shiho chuckled under her breath, scratching Mikey's chin. I felt the cat crane his neck back, his purr becoming soft as he was petted.

"We'll need to get him food." Shiho mused, "He must be hungry."

"Hint, hint." Shinichi grumbled, getting up. "I'll call Ran and we'll go out shopping I guess. Because Iggy is acting like a five year old and won't let me say no to a cat."

"Hey…" I said, glowering. I was NOT acting like I was five. This was perfectly justified. "I went through a lot to make sure this cat didn't get taken away by some creeps. I deserve some reward. His eternal servitude in the form of snuggles is the perfect payment."

"Servitude in the form of SNUGGLES?" Shinichi said with a snort. I stuck my tongue out in his direction and the detective heaved something of a tired sigh. "I have a feeling he's going to end up growing on me anyways. You're gushing like a little school girl over him though, and it's weird Iggy."

"Oh shut up, I like cats, what of it?" I muttered, Mikey heaved a contented sigh, his purr breaking off as he fell asleep. Shinichi muttered something under his breath, but he headed away. Shiho chuckled warmly. "You going to tease me too?"

"For liking a cat? No." Shiho said, "Kudou-kun has a soft spot for them as well. The Detective Boys ended up discovering a little box of kittens one time, and Kudou-kun was silenced with sensitivity the whole time."

"Ha! You can't resist cats. They're cute." I said, snorting and petting Mikey's head. "I can't even SEE and even I can admit that."

"Though you have to admit, it is odd for a person with bird DNA to take such a liking to a feline." Shiho mused, I blinked, narrowing my eyes slightly. She laughed. As much as I love Shiho, I sometimes don't understand her humor at all.

"I guess…" I said dubiously, blinking a little. Mikey's warmth was incredibly soothing, and I realized I was rather tired. "Shiho…I'm going to take a nap I think…"

"In the chair?" She said, sounding amused.

"Can't get up…so…yup…" I yawned, and was a little happy when she didn't move to get up. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I put my head on top of hers. It didn't take long at all for me to drift off to sleep.

And for the first time in months, it wasn't plagued by nightmares.

* * *

_**That chapter…**_

_**Gosh I'm happy with it. XD**_

_**I know guys, not much plotwise but…**_

_**Well to explain Mikey-cat. My cat Mikey, who Mikey in this is based off of, was killed this last Tuesday. He…was very important to me. And since writing is one of the best things I can do, what better way to preserve his memory than to insert him into one of my favorite fanfictions?**_

_**So Mikey, to me you're still very alive. I'll keep it that way, all through this damn fanfiction if I have to.**_

_**Lolol, and Iggy REALLY likes him ahahaha. -so amused-**_

_**Reviews are always and forever loved!**_


	9. If Only I Were Dreaming

DISCLAIMER:

If I owned it I would be such a rich bugger XD

_**SO I'm in love with a band…**_

_**Called Art of Dying.**_

_**I got a free song of theirs on iTunes and I was just like "HOLY HELL IT'S IGGY"**_

_**Listened to the whole album and the whole thing REALLY fits Catalyst. (at least all I know about it -cackles-) So it's now a massive staple in the seventy-four songs that all go to Catalyst on my iPod. **_

_**LOL I'll write it out**_

_**Because I'm a gomer…**_

_**By 30 Seconds To Mars - Stranger in a Strange Land, Alibi, Closer to the Edge, Hurricane, 100 Suns, This is War, Night of the Hunter, Escape, Attack.**_

_**By Trapt - Headstrong**_

_**By Trading Yesterday - The Beauty and the Tragedy, World on Fire**_

_**By Three Days Grace- Time of Dying, Get Out Alive, Riot, Animal I Have Become, Pain, Life Starts Now, World So Cold, Break**_

_**By Superchick- Stand in the Rain**_

_**By Story of the Year - Razorblades, Anthem of Our Dying Day, And the Hero Will Drown**_

_**By Skillet - Monster, Hero**_

_**By The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Grim Goodbye**_

_**By Red - Fight Inside**_

_**By One Republic - Everybody Loves Me**_

_**By Nickelback - Savin' Me**_

_**By Mayday Parade - The Last Something That Meant Anything**_

_**By Linkin Park - The Messenger, The Catalyst, Iridescent, When They Come For Me, Burning in the Skies**_

_**By Ke$ha (yes, Ke$ha XD) - Blow, The Harold Song**_

_**By Katy Perry - Who Am I Living For?**_

_**By House of Heroes - In the Valley of the Dying Sun**_

_**By Hinder - By the Way**_

_**By Evanescence - Whisper, My Last Breath, Hello, Tourniquet, Haunted, Everybody's Fool, Going Under**_

_**By Drowning Pool -Bodies**_

_**By Disturbed - Awaken**_

_**By The Devil Wears Prada - Louder than Thunder**_

_**By Creature Feature - Buried Alive**_

_**By Chris Cornell - You Know My Name**_

_**By Breaking Benjamin - Dance With the Devil, Until the End, Breath, Into the Nothing, Dear Agony, Anthem of the Angels, I Will Not Bow**_

_**By Art of Dying- Fits of Clarity, Better Off, Breathe Again, Straight Across My Mind, Best I Can, Raining, You Don't Know Me, I Will Be There, Completely, Whole World's Crazy, Sorry, Get Thru This, Die Trying**_

_**And Sound The Bugle from the Spirit Soundtrack XD**_

_**OH! And the newest Maximum Ride book is out BUT (BUUUUT) Do NOT tell me about it.**_

_**I haven't read it, and I won't until I finish Catalyst. XD I don't want to steal any "ideas" from Patterson, so I'm going to just continue my reading experience like Blind Sided was the next book after FANG.**_

_**pres1111 - Thank you. We actually got a new cat (haven't met him yet since I'm at college). He's an orange tabby that is named Mac. (like Mac and Cheese -delight-) And apparently he wags his tail like a dog. XD Can't wait to see him.**_

_**Arisana - Lol, I kept reading "I'm lazy" as "Shizaya" for some really dumb reason. XD BECAUSE CLEARLY I AM OBSESSED! -coughs- Anyways, I don't mind if you're anonymous or logged in. All the reviews are loved and appreciated. :3 You're my first Non-Maximum Ride person reading this fic, but I have a lot of people who don't know Detective Conan. Funny huh? XD**_

_**Aleathiel Elendil- LOL yes, there will be some cute little filler things between Fishy-san and Mike I think. Some Tom and Jerry-esque stuff to try and lighten the mood. (Because crap is going to get dark lolol) I'm serious when I say love these filler chapters. There's sad heavy stuff right around the corner…**_

_**Em Phantom - Yes, I'm happy I'll be able to write him out in this. Ahahaha, keep him alive in his own special way.**_

_**Serendipital (XD) - Heeeey! -point- Congrats on the account c: LOL nah, don't feel bad. I laugh at Haibara's jokes on the show myself, XD. Also I love puns…LOL HEY LOOK ahaha TOTALly -so amused right now-**_

_**Pally - Lol, thank you very much. Eh, yeah. I kinda had to drag that chapter out and I was honestly crying. XD it was a bit sloppy, if I rewrite it I'll go back and fix it up.**_

* * *

_Chapter Nine - If Only I Were Dreaming_

Christopher was, in all honesty, more exhausted than he'd ever been in his whole entire life. This, of course, was unsurprising. If one were to take the time to think about his situation, this only made the most sense possible.

He worked a hard enough job without those bastards breathing down his neck all the time. And the things he saw there anymore, he walked away with nightmares anymore. He couldn't sleep, he could hardly eat.

He worked with murderers, and he was beginning to lose his grip on who he was.

Months ago he'd have said he was a life saver. He would have said that he tries his hardest to make sure that people others have given up with have a second chance in life. Now he was pretty sure he was some kind cruel person.

He kept bringing those people from the brink of death. Only so that they could be tortured more. It was so sick. Christopher held his head between his hands and bit back a sob. Maybe he should go back home. Return to Canada…

No…that wouldn't work. Idiot, they were destroying the world. Or they wanted the world. This wasn't a country related thing. These people, they were everywhere. In the corners, in the back alleys. They had their glinting eyes, their vendettas, their cruelty.

Many, like him, just wanted to make sure their family lived.

Christopher moaned to himself. But at what cost? The life they were granting their family, was it truly, in the end of it all, worth it?

For them it was. But Christopher…was unsure if, when he finally got out of this tangled mess, he'd be able to live with himself. Not after the things he'd seen. The things he'd DONE. Christopher shuddered, his stomach heaving sickeningly.

That child…that little girl lost her father, and he'd been unable to stop it…

"Otou-san?" The sleepy voice made Christopher jerk, he turned his head, surprise flickering in his brown eyes as he spotted the child in the doorway. The boy was staring up at him, "Are you alright?"

No…he was a monster…

He was not alright. He'd never be alright. Yet he shoved the feelings aside, and put on a false smile. He leaned down, scooping the little boy into his arms. The child laughed, snuggling closer to his father. Christopher shut his eyes tight.

Nobody in this world truly lived until they had a child. He was lucky enough to have two. Little Jason, the boy he held in his arms now, and his youngest son, a three year old named Joshua. The names weren't Japanese, of course, but Jason seemed to be getting along fine enough here.

"If you had a nightmare, you can come sleep with me Otou-san." Jason said, brown eyes meeting Christopher's. The boy gave him a genuine smile, "If it makes you feel better."

Nightmares, he was plagued by them. He didn't want his son near those dreams, it was why he wasn't sleeping with his wife now even. He didn't want her exposed to it, somehow. Even if it was still in his subconscious, still in his head…

It was all too close.

"I'm fine." Christopher lied to the little boy, "How is school going?"

"Eh…we made art projects yesterday. Yoshi-kun and I both drew puppies. Ne, Otou-san, you said I could get a dog someday. When can I get a puppy?" The boy's pleading eyes lit on him, and Christopher frowned.

He felt so tired, he wasn't sure how an animal would react to the scents he carried home all the time, but the boy wanted one it seemed. At least to him.

He wished, desperately suddenly, that this was all a horrible dream. That he could somehow erase the things he'd seen, done, said even…and just reassure himself by waking from this living nightmare. All a dream, nothing but a figment of his imagination. Not reality.

He jumped a little, the sound of his cellphone jerking him violently from his thoughts. He pulled it out, and felt his stomach fall to his shoes. Jason tried to peek and see what it said, but he was setting the child on the ground.

"Go back to bed, Jason." He told his son. The little boy let out a groan of complaint, but Christopher was heading for the hook where he kept his coat. His wife, Rebecca, peered outside of the bedroom they shared and into the hallway.

"You're leaving again?" She said, worry in her tone. "Work?"

He felt so sick, when he turned to look at her. He half longed to cry to her. To tell her everything. To go back to the days where he didn't keep secrets from the woman he loved more than anything in the world. He swallowed the feeling, tasting bile in his throat as he did.

"Hai…don't wait up for me." He said to her. Jason complained aloud as his mother grabbed the boy's hand. Christopher stood by the doorway, feeling like he was going to be sick. He was so aware, suddenly, that this might be the last time he'd ever see the two of them.

He rushed her suddenly, wrapping his arms around her and crushing Jason between them. He kissed her fiercely on the mouth, ignoring his son's exclamation of childish disgust. As he pulled away he noted the worry in her eyes, he wanted to go hold the baby too…but he didn't dare wake the child.

"Christopher…what's wrong?" Rebecca said, but Christopher didn't dare answer. He turned and headed for the door, pausing only when he was at the threshold.

"I love you all." He whispered quietly, before ducking outside. Leaving his child and his bewildered wife behind. He got into the car, and only then did he allow the single tear to trace it's way down his cheek.

* * *

Daisuke watched with a smirk as Christopher drove away. Silly fool, you'd think with his night job he'd be a bit more protective of the folks back at home. The man lit a cigarette, sucking in the lung destroying smoke before shaking out the flame on the match he used to light it.

Him? Daisuke had no family. Or at least, not one he gave a flying rat's ass about. The man would just as soon feed his mother to a pack of Eraser's…oh wait, he already had. He chuckled to himself, amused by this for some reason.

Really, Christopher was just moronic. Did he truly think that his family would have any place in the new world order? They'd be mowed down, just like everybody else. Hell, Daisuke was aware of the fact that he himself was expendable.

At least he knew his place. He was going to die, when all this shit was said and done. When it came right down to it, his life was going to be nothing more than a red stain on the sidewalk. Daisuke grinned, putting his sunglasses on, before starting his car and slowly following after his 'partner'.

This, of course, didn't mean he wasn't going to have his fun before he went out in the world. Daisuke tossed his head back and laughed, overjoyed with himself for a few moments. Oh yes, there was going to be a hell of a lot of fun to be had.

In fact, he'd like to be the one to round up that little family Christopher so longed to protect. Daisuke chortled under his breath. It would be a treat, certainly, to have Christopher be forced to bring his wife back only so she could suffer under more experiments.

Delicious, the agony of others!

It was like a dream come true~

* * *

His name was Ayumu.

He was sixteen years old.

He lived with his mother, his father had left them.

He wasn't exactly the top of his class, but he had good grades.

He had a girlfriend named Chouko.

They had been dating for nearly a year.

His name was Ayumu…

It was like a never ending chant. Keep saying it…over and over and over. Eventually things, they lose their meaning when you do this. Chant things under your breath. Say it, say a word fast enough and you lose what it means. Was he trying to remember, saying all these things about himself, or was he trying desperately to forget?

There was pain, agony so much. It hurt, and he felt nearly sick. There was blood everywhere. It had spattered the walls, it was on the ground. Dripping from his fingers too. He could see the little droplets, and if he had the strength to hold his hand up, he'd hold it to the light.

Bleed, bleed, bleed. Drip, drip, drip.

A hellish nightmare. Something that he wanted to wake up from.

He'd been walking home from school. Alone, but then, when you're sixteen and on the Judo team you never think that you need any sort of protection at all. Lies, of course. He had needed protection. He'd gone down so easily.

"Is it working?" Some person spoke, their voice sounded far away, and all at once too loud. Ayumu moaned, turning his head, or trying to. The tendons in his neck screamed in pain when he tried to move.

"He's not dead yet, delightful…" Someone laughed as they spoke. "Smith-san will have to make sure he doesn't die on us though. We'll make him even stronger. He'll be the perfect sacrifice to awaken the Catalyst."

"Sounds awful hocus-pocusey to me, the whole deal about sacrifice." One man spoke dubiously. Sacrifice? Catalyst? What was it that they were talking about?

"You'd say that, you don't know about the Catalyst do you?" The man snorted as if he found something funny. "Don't worry, you underlings rarely are told shit like that."

"Like what?" There was curiosity in the other person's voice. Ayumu wanted to know too. What about this Catalyst? This…thing he was supposed to be sacrificed to. To be offered to like some animal back in ancient times.

Was he going to die? It was almost a relief at this point.

"I was warned that it was going to be hell." The other man spoke, his tone was so soft that Ayumu barely heard it. "That the person offered up to the Catalyst was going to die an unimaginably painful death…multiple times."

Fear closed over Ayumu's heart. Oh god.

* * *

Christopher slipped out of the room, wiping his hands and keeping his eyes focused on the ground as he walked. He knew Daisuke was there before he even looked up, there was just something creepy about the man that seemed to tell you of his presence when he was about.

"Helluva thing ya can do Doc." Daisuke said, laughing gleefully. "Think you coulda brought that Yoshida guy back so I could have let him beg again?"

Christopher felt ill. He didn't want to think of Yoshida. He didn't want to think about the kid he patched up just now, stabilized. That boy, before he had started to work on him, he'd begged him. 'Let me die…'

He had begged him, maybe not with words, for the boy had been in too much pain to speak. But his eyes, the tears, the way he looked at him in betrayal as he gave him the anesthetic. Like he was doing something far worse than killing the boy.

"You hear what I said Doc? Oi." Daisuke suddenly grabbed Christopher, shoving him against the wall. It was cold, and he felt the wind get knocked from his body. Daisuke, Christopher was learning rather quickly, was little more than a big brute.

"I heard you…" Christopher said, he more growled the words actually, than really spoke them. Daisuke smirked, leaning a bit closer, his dark eyes locked on Christopher's. The doctor grit his teeth, trying to put all the hatred he felt into one single look at the man.

"You've got spunk Doc, I like that." Daisuke purred, releasing him so suddenly that Christopher crashed to the ground. His knees slammed against the concrete, and he barely caught himself on his palms. Daisuke laughed, walking away while shoving his hands in his pockets.

"OI!" Someone's shout at the end of the hall made Christopher turn his head. Daisuke stopped his walking as the guy ran up to them, panting and sweating. Hastily, Christopher scrambled to his feet, trying not to blush as the newcomer glanced his way with an arched eyebrow.

"What the hell do you want?" Daisuke snarled, Christopher winced, glancing at the poor man who looked ready to wet himself suddenly.

"Um, is there a problem?" Christopher queried, ignoring the irritated look that Daisuke shot him. The man relaxed, fixing his eyes on Christopher as he spoke. Probably because…well Christopher was clearly the sane one here.

Daisuke, not sane. Christopher, totally sane. Or, at least compared to Daisuke he most certainly was. As long as he was working here, as long as he kept seeing the things he did every day, Christopher was starting to think that he'd probably end up madder than the Hatter in the end.

"We're on alert right now…" The guy said, blinking. "So…somebody snuck in and got a look at the important files."

"What?" Daisuke snarled, Christopher blinked. That…was bad news. At least for whoever did this and…he jumped, surprise coursing through him as Daisuke spun and slammed the heel of his foot against the poor messenger's head. He lifted his foot to stomp the poor man, probably to death, but Christopher grabbed his shoulder.

The look he got froze his blood, but he somehow managed to stay calm. So miraculously. He kept his tone level. He was surprised, a little, by a small bit of concern for the man. As a doctor he couldn't help it, it was unhealthy to be that angry all the time. For Daisuke as well as others around him. "Don't shoot the messenger, Daisuke-kun."

"Why the hell not?" Daisuke hissed, Christopher took a deep breath.

"You're angry, I can see that. But right now, we need everyone on alert." Christopher glanced at the man on the floor, who was holding his jaw. "Including this guy here, right?"

For a moment, Christopher feared he'd end up in just as bad a situation as the guy on the floor. But then Daisuke was wrenching his arm away, mumbling something under his breath with a glare down at the man on the floor.

Christopher leaned forward, helping the poor guy to his feet and only nodding a little to the grateful smile he got. It was probably smart of him, the way he split soon after that. Christopher watched him run down the hall, before yelping because someone grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

Unsurprisingly, it was Daisuke. The man looked pissed, but Christopher managed to get his feet beneath him before he hurried alongside the taller man. He glanced at the wall, feeling sorry for whoever had broken in, and back at Daisuke, noticing the guy had a cellphone out.

"What's up?" Christopher said cautiously.

"I get to play a little game of round-up seems. Not supposed to kill him…ehehehe, nice." Daisuke glanced down at Christopher, a look of sudden complete unamusement crossing his features. "What the hell you looking at?"

"Nothing." Christopher mumbled, looking away and staring at the opposite wall. Daisuke grunted something under his breath about morons, and walked ahead of him. Christopher stopped at the end of the hall, and sighed.

Whoever had done…well, whatever it was that had been done. He didn't envy them. Even if they were told to be kept alive. He shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering if he should head on home or stay around here and help look for the intruder.

He felt like a villain, a monster from a television show. Christopher shut his eyes, and walked down the hallway, not really looking for someone, but trying to appear as busy as he possibly could at the moment.

* * *

Daisuke was, to be completely honest, pissed.

And it wasn't because of the intruder getting out. That could be fun. It was that…stupid moron Christopher. Who the hell did he think he was? Touching him like that? Daisuke grinded his teeth together, felt the veins in his forehead pulse.

He wanted to break that man in half. The make him weep. He'd tear him down into the most bottomless pit he could possibly do, even if it meant killing the guy's children. Daisuke glared out the windshield, feeling his heart race.

"Got him with some of the drugs we've been experimenting with, but I don't think it'll take him down." The guy Daisuke was driving with was prattling on, and Daisuke glared a bit harder out the window. He was thinking damn it.

Why the hell had that Christopher guy done that?

"Daisuke-san?" The man next to him asked. Daisuke twitched, twisting the gun around and firing once. It was all it took. With a grunt he pulled the car to a stop, leaned over the corpse, and shoved it out the door.

The tires screeched against wet pavement after he slammed the door shut, his eyes narrowed in vicious rage. God damn, now he was in even more of a foul mood. And it was all that Christopher guy's fault. Stupid doctor.

Why had he looked like he was freaking worried about him? Daisuke didn't need friends god damn it. He didn't need anybody. Least of all a stupid doctor that couldn't figure out that he would be better off dead in the world.

* * *

It was raining buckets.

The darkness made it hard enough to see, and the downpour was so intense that he didn't dare fly. It'd be the most ridiculous thing you could ever possibly do. Flying with this wind, this rain. It was a death wish.

He winced, biting his lip until he tasted the sharp tang of blood. Bitter as it was, it brought reality to him. Clarity to the world around him. As if the added pain was something that could possibly wake him from…from what, exactly?

He wasn't near passing out. To be honest with you, everything was almost too clear. Yet it was in a haze as well. So damn confusing. He grit his teeth. He wished, so severely, that this wasn't the case at all. That he could just…think clearly.

He flicked his hand out slowly, remaining with his back pressed against the soaked brick. Thank god it was dark out…if it wasn't it'd be all the harder to hide. Hell, the rain was even something he could thank, despite the fact that it kept him grounded.

At least it made it easier for him to hide, to not be seen. Not that he ever had any problems with that before. His dark eyes flicked to the cellphone in his palm, and he bit back the hiss that rose up. No replies. God damn it!

The brick near his head suddenly exploded, or at least, in his moment of disorientation that's what he had thought. He realized that it was a bullet that had shattered the hard material, sending sprays of shrapnel to dig sharply into the side of his face. He darted away from the wall, one arm coming up to cover his dark eyes and shield them from the dagger like pieces of brick.

"Heat seeking goggles give me a hell of a headache…But, I have to say, they have their perks. Fang-kun." The man stepping toward him had said appendages attached to his face, a wicked evil smirk plastered over his features. Fang slowly lowered his arm. "Like seeing a freak who normally can melt away into thin air…"

_Do not show you are nervous or worried._ As if he needed to say anything to himself. Fang didn't smirk, he didn't tremble or even glare. The expression he gave to the man who had a gun leveled at his head was calm, almost indifferent.

"You're not going to ask who I am? Why I'm chasing you?" The man asked him. Fang quirked an eyebrow at him, tilting his head to one side. His hair, soaked from the rain, was plastered to his skull.

"Would you tell me if I did?" He queried, his tone calm as always. But his heart was pounding pathetically. Death in the skies, as opposed to a gun toting jerk…he was thinking he'd end up taking his chances above.

"Don't fly, Fang-kun…" The man said. "Believe me, we don't want this to end up badly. But there's more than one person who can hold the Catalyst."

Fang winced. This is what you get when you snoop. When you stick your nose where it doesn't belong. In all honesty, Fang had no one to blame but himself. He had tracked these guys down, he had found them, and now he knew about them.

Or, knew more than the average Joe on the street.

"The Catalyst?" Fang said, feigning ignorance. He knew well enough about the Catalyst. That's why it was crucial to get ahold of Max as soon as possible.

"Do not play dumb, Fang-kun." The man before him was nearly trembling with rage suddenly. Short fuse…Fang filed this information into a corner of his mind. It could be useful later. When he wasn't holding a pistol.

"And you think that I can control it?" He said, he kept his tone carefully neutral, but he felt a little sick as he spoke the words. To hold that sort of power, to be able to crush an entire civilization…nay, a whole planet…it sickened him.

Terrified him, more than anything.

The man tilted his head to one side, for the first time something like amusement crossed the man's face. He laughed, and Fang's tensed muscles screamed at him to fly away. Do it now. Yet that damned curiosity kept him rooted to the spot.

He wanted…to find out what this man was talking about. Why was he laughing, when he knew some of the darkest secrets these people had? When Fang could bring them all to their knees if he really wanted to.

Just with a few pieces of information.

"You don't know yet, do you?" The man said. "We caught your scent before you could find out."

Fang gritted his teeth, but he said nothing. Did nothing. Just stayed rigid and still. A sound above him made him blink, and he looked up. On the rooftop above, there were people with nets. Fang hissed. Damn.

The man on the ground was stepping closer to him, a grin splitting his features. He wasn't very happy, Fang realized. In fact, despite the psychotic grin, he seemed to be in a bit of a foul mood. Fantastic. Because, you know, the crazies are so much better when they're royally pissed off.

The only thing worse was when they were smart.

"You didn't figure it out…amusing. I thought that you'd get it, almost right away. But then, maybe you just aren't as smart as everyone above seems to think, Fang-kun." The man grinned at him that pistol ever level in his direction.

"Hm? So you know?" Fang asked.

"Ahahaha, yes…and does it make you angry that I do?" The man grinned, but Fang only blinked back at him. Frustrated, admittedly yes. But not angry. He had been close, and it was only a matter of getting it out of this guy and getting away.

Easy.

"Hm…to be honest, it just seems like you're bluffing to me." Fang said, shrugging his shoulders. He watched as the guy stiffened, rage seemed to pulse through the air around the dude, but he pressed on, casual as you please. "Why would they tell someone like you, their big secrets?"

"Because, I'm expendable." The man said, grinning. "I can be killed. It's the people that are important like Doc that they keep in the dark, you know why? Because if they don't know anything they can't say anything Fang-kun. We won't be forced to kill them."

"Pretty happy go lucky, for a guy that's practically deemed worthless in his own club." Fang responded, tilting his head to one side and blinking at the man. He laughed in response, though there was something uneasy behind that laugh.

"All I need is to hear the screams of my victims, and to know that I have the power to take away their lives." He said with a grin. "IT's the most powerful thing in the world."

"Seems like you have all your cards sorted out." Fang grunted.

"The best of us do." The man grinned, "You still don't believe me?"

"Why would I?" Fang responded, this time allowing the smallest of smirks on his face. The man stepped closer, and Fang tensed his shoulders. If he ran to the left, and then pulled a U and A then he could get away…but just a little more. He was close…

"Tell you what…" The guy said with a grin. "I'll tell you what the Catalyst is, like I said…there are others who are perfectly capable of controlling it. You're expendable too, Fang-kun."

"Am I now?" Fang said, a drop of rain traced its way down the side of his face. Yet he didn't flinch, he didn't move. He stood as still as possible, his dark eyes locked on the man in front of him. Just a few more words…

A gun fired, and to be honest, Fang was surprised by the sound. He hardly even registered that he'd been shot, even as the pain tore through his chest, even as his legs buckled and he hit the concrete. Someone yelled at the man who shot him, and Fang's ears were ringing.

"God DAMN it Daisuke!"

"The Catalyst…" The man, Daisuke, was whispering in Fang's ear as the darkness swamped over him. "Is…"

* * *

_**CLIFF HANGER! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

_**What's this? A chapter without Iggy? XD it had to be done. LOOKIT ALL THAT PLOT CRAP!**_

_**Happy guys? XD Oh my god, Fang was SHOT what's going to happen!**_

_**Developed some more personality for Daisuke and Chris. I love them both, by the way. XD Even Daisuke, he's so awesome. I'm thrilled with his character and I can't waaaait to make it develop more in the story.**_

_**Iggy will probably be around next chapter. Apparently I'm gonna try updating once a week. Sorry this one was late guys, but I hope you like it and all that jazz.**_

_**R & R**_


	10. Of Worries and Thieves

_**FEH holy crow. Once a week? PAHAHAHA! FUNNY! GOOD JOKE STREAKZ! -shotdead-**_

_**MY FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE = OFFICIALLY OVER!**_

_**I'm very happy ahahaha. Sad thing though, no internet at home. (Well, okay that's a lie. The old comp has dial-up, but I hate that computer and wrestling with it makes my head hurt…)**_

_**No worries, I can walk to the library and get on there. **_

_**AND I have a ton of free time (for now, I've gotta get a job though so I'm not at all sure how long that'll last…) so yay I getta write. XD**_

_**BLANK (Lol you don't have a username...) - Ahahaha, yeah, didn't...update weekly. -fails so hard- Ayumu IS actually an OC. I never realized that I just randomly tossed so many of them in there. Eh, whatevs. DC has a bunch of random characters that just pop up all the time anyways. XD**_

_**Serendipital- I blame college...for the...y'know, wait for this last one. XD (Okay, College and my RPG site, I can't help it if it's fun though owo)**_

_**Pally- LOL geez, I just realized that I left off at a terribly exciting part. That wasn't all that nice of me. XD**_

_**Aleathiel Elendil- This love is a thrill shock suspense~ Seriously that's what first went through my head reading your review. XD I thought it was pretty fantastic. Hence why I decided to randomly share that piece of beautiful glorious information to you. XD Oh god, I feel bad about the Cliffhanger thing because this chapter...literally doesn't show you what happened to Fang. -coughs- I'm one of those awful authors that just leaves you hanging for chapter after chapter while you're inwardly screaming 'ARGH I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS, I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO FAAAAAAAANG!'  
**_

* * *

_Chapter Ten - Of Worries and Thieves  
_

The dreams were always filled with blood now. Or at least, I assume that's what they were. The time I fell asleep with Mikey and Shiho was literally the last decent sleep I'd had. Nearly a week had passed, and the dreams were worse than before.

Yes, you heard me correctly. Worse. It wasn't just the scene of my death back then playing itself over and over (complete with agony that didn't leave when I woke up anymore) but there were worse things mixed in with it. The strange amphitheater room with the gurney, whatever strange surgical things happening there. Fang, with his hands at my throat, his eyes as black as coals.

Other things too. Another blood filled dream to line up with the nightmares, take their ranks. It's odd to say that I know it's terrifying.

I'm sitting on the hill that I first saw stars on. My legs dangling over the edge, there's something solid in my hand. I can feel it beating somehow, in time with my own heartbeat. And each slight pulsing of the object sent pins and needles up my arm. It was nearly painful, yet I couldn't bring myself to let go…or look at it.

Maybe it doesn't seem so terrifying. Even with the sun setting and changing the sky to a deep shade of red that seems to be the theme of all my dreams, it seems just like a normal thing. A sunset on a hillside. Apart from the fact that I can see it of course, there doesn't seem to be anything odd about it.

Except that my hands are soaked in blood. Just dripping in it, and I know somehow, that if I look down someone will be dead at the bottom. The person is different every time. But it's always, always somebody I care about.

You can hardly blame me then, for not wanting to sleep. So it was that I was sitting in my room with Mikey on my lap, my hand rhythmically stroking the dark gray fur of his pelt. I was exhausted, and to be honest the motion was more than likely going to put me to sleep.

What did I do? Fight sleep, or just endure the nightmares? Even when I woke with either my stomach wrenching in horror, a numbness that terrified me, or the agony of my death…is it something so easy to put myself through?

I was beginning to consider just talking to Agasa. Maybe getting him to make me some kind of magical experimental drug or something that would just put me to sleep without the threat of dreams. Hell, maybe I could just dope myself up so much that I'd be completely knocked out every night.

I was starting to get a little irritable during the day. Which, you know, with me isn't something super subtle. Let's face it, I'm not mister happy-pants. So it's hardly unnoticeable when I become even MORE likely to snarl something rude at people.

It was only a matter of time before someone decided to say something about it. And he hated that, to be honest with you. He had a hard time dealing with people prying into his personal affairs. Even when those people were just ones that genuinely cared about him.

It was an old habit he was sure, from back when he was running away from people all the time with the flock. No trusting anybody, not easily at least, and old habits die hard. Believe me, I know it better than a lot of people.

I sighed to myself, my eyes were starting to droop. Damn, I didn't want to fall asleep. In fact, it was about the last thing I wanted at this point. No, maybe I was a coward, but I didn't want to face sleep at this moment.

I jerked into a full upright position, my eyes stretching wide for a moment and my heart racing. I heard something, some kind of sound at my window. For a moment I didn't know what to do, or to say even, and then I heard it again. A sort of impatient tap.

Cautiously I pulled myself out of the bed and went to the window, I don't know what caused me to pull it open, I just did. The next thing I knew I was hearing the sound of a billowing cape, and was aware of the fact that someone else was in the room with me.

"It's always good to see that you're well, Iggy-kun." The voice took me a moment to register. Hell, for the smallest amount of moments I thought that maybe it was Shinichi. But there was something too mischievous in that tone, despite the heavy sense that who I was speaking to happened to be incredibly arrogant.

"You make it sound like you see me a lot, which, as far as I know you don't." I said, my voice coming out as an irritable growl. I sat down on my bed, and arched my eyebrows in the direction of my night visitor. Mikey was up on his paws, and his purring had stopped on account of the fact that I wasn't petting him anymore. "What do you want, Kaitou Kid? Something tells me that Shinichi isn't going to appreciate you resurfacing in his own house."

I could hear the smirk in his voice, something I was almost certain that Shinichi could only do. That is, until now. "Tantei-kun shouldn't know I'm here, that is, unless you tell him."

"Are you seriously underestimating Kudou Shinichi? You're not nearly as smart as people seem to make you out to be." I said, my tone was rather dry, and I was wishing that this idiot thief would just get to his point instead of bothering me in the middle of the bloody night.

I didn't know much about Kaitou Kid to be honest with you. I haven't had nearly as many run ins with the guy as Shinichi has, just the time at the mall and the fall of the organization to be brutally honest with you.

In fact, the fall was apparently the last time Kid had shown up…anywhere. No more heists followed that, not a single one. It was as if the thief had just dropped off the face of the planet. I remember Ran mentioning something about the detective in charge of Kid's cases being obsessed with the thought that the thief was still hanging around somewhere.

Well, obviously he'd been right.

"Oh I haven't underestimated Tantei-kun, I'm prepared for him to bust into this room because his detective senses start tingling." Kaitou Kid spoke in a lofty and confident manner. There was an odd mingling of seriousness and overall playfulness that just draped over his words. Mostly though there was that arrogance. Like he could steal the moon and no person would be able to stop him.

"You going to get to your point, or are you just some kind of creeper?" I finally said. Kaitou Kid chuckled, though he didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry at all at the moment. The thief was rather quiet for a few brief moments, and I wondered if he was doing something elaborate and theatrical.

All well and good, y'know, guy can do whatever theatrics he wants. Still, KIND of annoying when you happened to be unable to see any of those said theatrics. The point sort of gets lost when you're hanging around with a blind person.

"I seem to have lost touch with a good friend of mine." Kaitou Kid spoke very slowly, thoughtfully. I had the sudden sensation that as arrogant as he seemed, as mischievous as his tones could be, the thief didn't say anything without thinking of what words he was going to speak very carefully.

"Nice, what do you want me to do about it? Sniff them out like a hound dog? You're better off talking to Shinichi about someone who has gone missing." I said, picking Mikey up and setting him in my lap. The cat started to purr, and I pressed my face against his forehead.

"I never necessarily said someone went missing." Kaitou Kid said, sounding almost amused.

"Well then what the hell do you want me for?" I growled, my patience was slowly beginning to wear thin. And, heh, I really don't HAVE much patience to begin with. It's probably one of the reasons I wasn't part of the group that lead the Flock around. That was always the job of Max and Fang.

That, and I think my blindness had something to do with it as well, though neither of them ever said as much. I was always considered in the same group as the other kids, even though I was just as old as Fang and Max. It's not exactly something I like to talk about.

Not that I resent it or something. Just that…okay, maybe I resent it a little bit. I don't think you can really blame me in this particular scenario though. It's hard. Just because people don't SAY my blindness will get in their way doesn't mean I don't realize it.

I'm blind, not stupid.

"I didn't say somebody DIDN'T go missing either. Just that I never specifically said that a person went missing." Kid's voice was light, but I was detecting a slight edge to it. It's hard to say. Kaitou Kid is KNOWN for having a pokerface, and hiding his emotions very well.

Still, I was used to sensing how people felt in different ways. I can't see facial expressions, so I rely on the tone of a person's voice, and the overall atmosphere AROUND them to get a feel for how someone is feeling.

I narrowed my eyes, still focusing on scratching Mikey behind the ears. The cat seemed to enjoy that, though he liked having his chin scratched even more. If I didn't know any better I would have thought…I cleared my throat, "Well again, if someone is missing there's not much I can do. I learned the hard way that being blind makes it a bit tough to go looking for someone. You want Shinichi for that."

"I don't think…Tantei-kun should get himself mixed up in this unless it's absolutely necessary." The seriousness in his tone was no joke, there was something almost chilling about it. Like he was warning me. And suddenly I knew that if Shinichi didn't figure out that Kaitou Kid was here, I was probably not going to tell him about it.

Not because I would be covering for the thief, do not misunderstand. That wasn't my thought at all. No, it was the sudden sense that there was a heavy gravity in the room. Like Kaitou Kid and his friend had been treading in dangerous territory, and now I was about to start walking there as well.

"So…you have a feeling about these people. You think you might know who it is that made your friend disappear?" I said slowly, it was almost a rhetorical question because I was already pretty sure of the answer. I wondered, suddenly, if this was how Shinichi felt when he was solving his cases. Like all the questions he asked were merely for show.

"I have a fair idea." Kaitou Kid's words were dark, and I could understand how people found this person so mysterious. A conundrum of a thief, the sort of person you automatically wanted to trust despite your logic.

"These people are dangerous then. If you don't want Shinichi involved, it's not because you don't think he can handle it, but because you don't want someone to get hurt if you can help it right?" My tone was sharp. I was done beating around the bush for his answers, the thief was going to get to his point and he was going to get to it at MY pace. I wasn't jumping through any hoops for this.

"Possibly more dangerous than the syndicate." Kid said, and I felt suddenly like I'd been socked in the gut. Someone more dangerous than the people who had nearly killed us? Someone more dangerous than Them? The people that Shiho had been terrified of, the people that shrank Shinichi and I. The people who were damn GOOD at keeping themselves hidden…

Fantastic.

"Shinichi isn't likely to appreciate me keeping something like that secret from him." I said, not to mention that keeping secrets from him was something nearly impossible. I felt like I was going to be sick. Not this whole scenario again. It pissed Max off then, and I knew it would piss off Shinichi now if I kept him out of the loop. I blinked, "Why are you telling ME all of this? Why do you think I should be involved?"

"Because you basically already are." Kid said, and I felt confusion swamp me. Uh…okay. So somehow I got myself in a buttload of trouble without realizing it. That's nice. "My friend who went missing, you know who he is."

I suddenly felt sick. Somebody I knew, but a person that wasn't close enough to Shinichi to drag him into it. That took out practically every person I met in Japan. Hell, you might as well say that it DID take out every person I met in Japan. The only people I was close to here were Hattori, Kazuha, Kogoro, Ran, a few police officers, the detective boys, Shiho, Agasa…

All people who had something to do with Shinichi in some way, shape or form. You know who that left for Kaitou Kid's mystery friend group? Yeah, people from the Flock. And there was only one Flock member that was even IN Japan right now.

"Fang." I croaked, feeling half sick to my stomach. Kid didn't reply, but really did he have to? I groaned, pushing Mikey from my lap. The cat thudded onto the ground, and made some sound of indignance before leaving us to our peace. "Damn idiot, what did he DO?"

"He got himself caught, or at least that's what I suspect." Kid said thoughtfully, that edge to his voice was easier to place now. Worry, Kid was worried about Fang. I was wondering how the hell my friend even KNEW the thief, let alone what the two were up to.

"You said I had something to do with this." I growled, I found my head snapping up, and judging from the way the thief stopped wandering around the room, I'm pretty sure I landed a bulls-eye with my glare. Heh, I knew very well that it can be kind of creepy when a blind person seems to be staring right at you. And I've gotten kind of good at that.

"I'm not sure what, Iggy-kun." Kid spoke calmly, his tone was quiet. "Or how you've got something to do with this. It was something that Fang-kun knew, but I didn't ask him about it. Perhaps it was unwise of us not to trade information, but he is…not the trusting sort."

I gave a slight smile. No, I figured Fang wouldn't be quick to trust the thief either. Though I had to wonder how Kid even pertained to any of this at all…or why he was back after his absence. There were a lot of questions, but not much I could do to ask them.

"And…what do you want me to do?" I asked, knowing that as I said the words there was something else being spoken as well. What did this thief want me to do…without telling Kudou Shinichi? It was going to be tough keeping a secret from Shinichi, but then, I had managed to keep the bird thing a secret…at least for a little while.

If I stayed calm, played my cards right, and didn't say something stupid, he didn't have to get involved. Granted he was going to be furious when this was all over and he figured it out. Oh, yes, I was more than certain he'd probably blow up or something equally catastrophic.

Detective brain chunks flying everywhere around the room. It'll be a sight to see, too bad I'm blind eh?

"Two heads are better than one, Iggy-kun." Kid said, that amusement and mischief once more entering his tone. I heard the window open, and was aware of the rush of cool night air. "I need your help finding your friend, and if we cannot do that then I need you to help me find out what he found that made him drop off the face of the planet."

"You think Fang found something?" I said the words hastily, trying to get them in before Kid made whatever dramatic exit he was planning to make at this moment in time. There was a small pause, and I heard the sound of his gloves sliding across the brim of a silk hat.

I suddenly had a very vivid picture of him in my mind's eye. He was there, during the time I was killed. Someone in the background. A magician with a white cloak and a white top hat, and a monocle. The memory must have lent to the picture in my head, because for a brief moment I could have sworn that I literally saw him there, at the window. With moonlight streaming in my room, that arrogant smirk on his face.

"I know he did." The thief said, and then he was gone, and I was alone in the darkness. Blind like always, and too keyed up to sleep. I stayed where I was for a moment, just staring blankly into the darkness that my world always had.

After a moment I sighed, and my fingers closed around my cellphone. Kid said that I shouldn't get Shinichi involved, and I wouldn't. But this was Flock business, clearly, and Max…I wasn't going to keep her out of this. Not this time.

* * *

Aoko was pretty sure she could be put into a category that certainly was separate from your average high school student. Not that she was the sort that thought she was better than everyone else, or even wanted such a division.

It's just that…well, sometimes things are that way.

Her reasoning behind such a thing isn't exactly unfounded. Oh no, she doesn't just say it to set herself apart in any way or something like that. No, there's good solid evidence to back that up. Like the fact that last year she was kidnapped.

She's pretty sure that doesn't happen to your average Joe on the street. And to be honest, it wasn't something that just flitted out of your mind all easy like either. She wasn't scarred by it persay. She knew that something far worse could have happened to her that day.

That wasn't to say she hadn't been TERRIFIED. She had been. Utterly and totally terrified. A person doesn't really remain inwardly calm when they happen to be tossed into a cell in a basement. Oh most assuredly NOT.

Aoko shuddered slightly at the memory, her dark blue eyes sliding closed in the darkness. Yes, she was pretty sure most girls didn't get kidnapped in their life…and she was even more certain that those girls didn't hide that fact from their fathers.

Yes, she hadn't spoken a word of that to her father. She didn't even let him know she'd been KIDNAPPED. The girl had gone and taken a fall for something she seriously couldn't help. Hell, she hadn't WANTED to be kidnapped.

Still, she'd convinced her dad that she had merely gone to stay with Kaito, without saying anything about it at all. She could remember the wide-eyed look Kaito had given her when the words tumbled from her mouth.

It was easier that way though. Easier because she didn't have to explain who had kidnapped her. Easier because she didn't have to explain WHY, which was delving into dangerous territory. Easier, because she didn't go near the subject of that other thing that set her apart from most high school students.

That her best friend, Kuroba Kaito, was the Phantom Thief, Kaitou Kid.

Aoko sighed to herself. Granted he had told her, as the police had swarmed about like madmen, trying to capture those organization members that hadn't been killed and cuff them, as the ambulance stood and the boy who had been dead, but was somehow alive, had been pushed inside…he had told her then that he was done.

"_I suppose there is no need, for Kaitou Kid any longer."_ He had muttered, his tone had been oddly sad at that moment, not in the way of someone disappointed for not being able to do something any longer, but the voice of a person saying goodbye to a long kept friend.

Aoko slammed her desk drawer shut, wincing as it crushed her pinky finger. With a hiss she pulled it from the drawer, and stuck it in her mouth. Her expression was sour she was sure. The girl felt a flash of irritation.

_He promised._ She thought, twitching, _He promised._

Well, not really. He hadn't said that he would stop being Kid. Still, it had come as somewhat as a shock to her when he slid up to her in the hall, and whispered those words in her ear. _Kid is back._ She didn't know if he was planning to steal something, or WHAT, just that he had spoken those words, and melted into the crowd.

It was frustrating, because she couldn't exactly confront him about it in class. And he'd disappeared nearly right after the bell had rung, leaving her to walk home alone and become rather irritated with her boyfriend and former (she hoped) phantom thief.

"You mad at your desk?" Kaito's smooth tone was somehow unfamiliar, even though he didn't actually change it all that much to act as Kid. Aoko whirled, her blue eyes flattening and becoming rather unamused at the sight of him sitting at her windowsill with his white suit, and hat tipped low over his eyes.

"Baka." She hissed, trying not to let her gaze linger on him for too long. It was unfortunate really, that Kaito could pull off his role of phantom thief oh so well. He was almost like a stranger to her as Kid, a very sexy mysterious stranger.

Strange, how she could think of him in that manner, since she knew it was him.

"Noooo, you're mad at me." He said, lightly removing his cloak and hat. There was a moment of pink smoke, and then he was in front of her, mischievous grin plastered on his features, all the Kid get up gone. Aoko tried to keep her glare level, but it was hard. "Mou, Aokooooo don't be such a gruuuump."

She twitched but took a deep breath. "Are you going to tell me why? Or just that it's happening?"

"What's happening?" Kaito said, blinking his blue eyes in a manner that made her seriously wonder how he managed to be wily enough to get out of some of the situations he had in the past. The magician tilted his head to one side, in a manner that was actually rather cute.

Damn it, it was harder to stay mad at him now that they were more than 'just-friends'. Back then she would have scolded herself for thinking him cute. He had been her best friend. Now that they were officially an item she didn't technically have that cushion anymore.

"Oooooh, you mean the Kid thing." He said, sudden dawning lighting up his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her neck, somehow switching their places on her, so that he was sitting in the chair and she was suddenly in his lap. She blinked, disoriented for a moment. "Sorry Aoko, a man has to have his secrets."

There was worry there, hidden beneath the joy in his eyes. It was strange how he could pull the wool over most anyone's eyes, but she had learned to read him…no, read THROUGH him better than anyone he ever ran into. She prided herself in it, it made her happy to know that while the rest of the world might not know what Kaito really had on his mind…

She always would.

"It's dangerous isn't it." She muttered, her dark blue eyes pinning his own gaze down. The magician didn't move, just became very still. "You don't want me involved."

"I'm being VERY careful." He whispered, as if to assure her. Aoko had heard the story of why he first became Kid a thousand times, long story short, to destroy the dangerous Pandora Gem. Well…it HAD been destroyed. Not by Kaito, but by that girl, when she brought the little boy back.

Aoko couldn't help but think that, out of the people present there that day, she was probably the one who knew the least about it. It wasn't that anybody had said anything to her, or that they were even talking to each other in a manner that suggested that. In fact, Aoko hadn't seen ANY of the people besides Kaito since that day, though she kept in touch with Max.

There was just the feeling that there were other things, and she didn't know them. Aoko was uncertain whether to take it in stride, just shrug and accept that people had secrets and she, as a stranger to them, had no right to learning any of them. Or if she should feel left out.

"Are you alright?" Kaito asked, making her start a little. He was looking at her with open concern. His blue eyes were so expressive. She wondered how he could possibly cover his emotions up the way he did sometimes. "You seem a little out of it."

"Barro." She said, watching as he pulled a wounded look at the insult, "I'm fine. Just tired. It IS three thirty in the morning, and I've been up all night…"

"Waiting for me? I didn't tell you I was coming though." Kaito muttered, frowning as if he was trying to remember. Aoko laughed, pressing her lips to his for a brief moment. She loved the way he instantly relaxed, like just that simple action could wipe all the thoughts from his head.

"No, but I expected you to." She muttered, "And you haven't let me down yet."

* * *

"For the MILLIONTH time." I said as I shoved toast in my mouth. I was really regretting calling Max last night. Though the constant calls to my cellphone had been handy in keeping me up all night. I heard Shinichi pause in his cereal munching and I forced myself not to lower my voice. "I don't KNOW anything Max. If I did I'd tell you."

See you may be wondering why I decided not to lower my voice. Well I live with a detective. Who happens to be very nosy. I decided to use a bit of what I like to call reverse psychology. Lowering my voice meant I was trying to keep something from him, which would make him interested in what I was talking about.

See? I'm a clever little blind bird kid.

"Like you told me when you got shrunk." She spat, and I very nearly dropped the phone as I winced. She heaved a tired sounding sigh, "I'm sorry Ig, I just…I'm worried about him."

"I'll kick his ass when I see him if you like." I said cheerily, sitting down at the table. I was trying to speak in a manner that wouldn't raise Shinichi's suspicions too much. "Or should I say 'kick his ass again' considering I did that once already."

"I bet he didn't fight back." Max said, there was the ghost of a smile in her voice, and though the jab irritated me to no end (because Fang DIDN'T fight back) I found myself feeling a little better for injecting even a little bit of amusement into Max's life.

"Whatever. So are you guys coming here or what?" I muttered, stealing whatever Shinichi had been drinking and ignoring his irritated grunt. Orange juice. Who in the world drank orange juice with cereal anyways? I deserved that drink.

"Yeah, we're going to take off this afternoon. Probably be there in a few days. Three at the most." Max said, sounding a little distracted. I bit back a yawn as I shoved another piece of toast in my mouth. Darn, this was probably going to be my only breakfast for the whole day. "Do you think we can stay with you guys?"

I winced. With captain suspicious? I tried to think up a reason on the spot for saying no, when I heard something fall on the kitchen floor. It shattered, and I jumped, aware suddenly that Shinichi was gasping with pain, and breathing in a manner that seemed difficult. "Whoa, are you okay?"

"What happened?" Max asked, and I set the phone down, suddenly incredibly concerned for my adoptive brother. He wasn't ANSWERING me, that was the scary part. Not a grunt, or even anything to tried to wave off my concern. "Ig?"

"Shinichi?" I asked, trying not to sound nearly as panicked as I felt. And I DID feel panicked, incredibly so. He made a small choked sound of pain, and I was half terrified that someone had poisoned him. That some person he'd put away, or a relative of theirs or something had actually put poison in my brother's food, and that he was dying or something. "Oh god, oh god, oh god."

Thing I have learned. Apparently when dealing with a medical emergency I freaking SUCK at being helpful. Repeating 'oh god' over and over? Yeah, that doesn't DO ANYTHING. Sheesh, I half wanted to bash my head into the tile under our feet, but I didn't think that would help things any more than my mindless repeating of words.

"Ran, I'm calling Ran." I said, diving for my cellphone and mashing the buttons in my panic, completely forgetting that I happened to have Max ALREADY on the line. I felt a jolt of panic bolt through me. God DAMN it what the hell was wrong with me?

"Don't." Shinichi croaked, he sounded shaky, and something niggled in the back of my head, but I was too relieved to pay any attention to it. He coughed, "I'm fine. I just…was a little dizzy for a bit."

"Dizzy." I said flatly. Because I'm not an idiot. He was in pain. But he didn't sound like he was dying now. Like he was shaken a bit, and tired, but not like he was dying. "You…you were in pain for a bit there Shinichi."

"I'm fine." The detective nearly snarled the words, and I knew that if I pushed it anymore, his patience was bound to snap. I fell quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say or even do. Shinichi must have been picking up the pieces of the bowl, and I left the room and stood in the hall.

"Is everything alright?" Max said, knowing I could hear her even without my ear pressed to the phone. I swallowed, and it took me a moment to realize I was being an idiot an nodding my head.

"Yeah, I think." I found myself speaking in a low tone despite myself. I was shaken now, reverse psychology wasn't exactly something that was running through my head at the moment. I walked away from the hall and headed to my room, "Yeah, he just had some sort of…I dunno what. I think he's okay though."

"Are YOU alright? You seem shaken." Max's tone was concerned. I WAS shaken.

I don't know if people realize how much Shinichi means to me. I don't mean to get sappy or something stupid like that. It's just that…I lived with the Flock my whole life. I chose him, my adoptive brother, over them. Because we were more than friends. We really were brother's. Family.

Granted I chose Shiho over them too, but still. Shinichi was every bit as close to me, if not closer, than most of the members in the Flock that I grew up with. I don't think that even ballparks it, saying he's like my brother to me. There's like this deeper level of trust there.

I don't trust people easily, alright?

"We'll find someplace else to stay. Sounds like you guys are kind of busy working something out." Max said, I had no idea what she meant by that. Maybe me dragging him to the hospital or something to make sure he wasn't, in fact, dying of some crazy illness. My eyes narrowed, there was something familiar about that though…

"Something…" I muttered, this was something important, I was thinking…something about this…

"You said we had an ally by the way." Max said, I jerked from my thoughts, trying to drag my mindset back to the conversation I'd been having moments before my brother had scared the holy living crap out of me. "You have yet to tell me his name."

"Kaitou Kid." I said, "He popped up in my bedroom last night, believe it or not. Creeper."

"K-Kid?" Max said, she sounded stunned, and I could hardly assume why. She laughed after a moment, and I was suddenly incredibly confused. Great, I'm the only one in the club who has no idea what's going on with anything. "Heh, I guess he does technically owe us for that one time."

"Huh?" I said, blinking a little.

"Nevermind. Do you know if you can get ahold of him when we get there? Anything at all?" She asked, her tone was serious. I frowned, uh, no. Actually I had absolutely no idea how in the world I would contact the Phantom Thief. "Well try and figure it out before we get there."

"Sure thing, MOM." I said, she snorted a little irritably, but I found myself smiling a bit. I missed Max, and I was glad that she seemed to be less angry with me now. She was someone I looked up to. Well…erm, not looked. Hahaha, get it because…never mind.

* * *

Max hung up the phone, her dark brown eyes were starting to droop with exhaustion. This time difference made it hard to converse with Iggy. Though, soon enough, they'd all be there in three days or so. If things went well.

Her stomach wrenched with worry, and she turned her face to stare out the window. Was Fang going to be alright? Some part of her was wondering if she'd be able to tell. To feel it, in her heart, whether he was gone or not.

The time on the gurney flashed in her head, and she felt nearly sick. That moment…it had nearly crushed her. And when he left after all of that, it had practically torn her heart to pieces. Wasn't she better off just ignoring Fang?

Wasn't she better off without him?

The leader of the Flock grit her teeth. Funny, how she had conditioned herself to never think that way. No matter how angry she was at him. No matter what stupid things he did. No matter how many pieces he tore her heart into…

Fang was part of the Flock. Her Flock. Just like Iggy was. It didn't matter if he said he quit. You didn't quit the Flock. Because the thing is…it wasn't just a group of crazy hybrid kids running everywhere. It wasn't just that they survived so many things together. It wasn't just that they were friends.

They were FAMILY. You didn't quite being a part of a family when you went away. It just meant you were growing up, and that you were moving on to other things. But the thing is, the old ties with your family didn't dissolve, they didn't go away.

And Max…she'd do anything for her family.

"Are we going on another trip?" Gazzy asked, standing where he was, rubbing his eyes, Max wondered if she should just leave him at home. She quickly abandoned the thought. Young or old, they were all in this together.

"Yeah." She said, her dark eyes flicking to Nudge's. The girl looked just as tired as Gazzy, and Max was aware that they'd been staying up to hear the end of her conversation with Iggy. To hear exactly what was going on. "We've got to save someone's feathered-butt again."

"We should get badges or something. Or maybe hats. Oh, I think we could start wearing uniforms. Cause, you know, we seem to be heading off on rescue missions an awful lot. Or, oh my gosh, HEY MAX, we could totally be super heroes! Oh my gosh, I can't believe we didn't think of this before!" Nudge prattled, and Max smiled for a moment to herself.

Sometimes, even when you were on the brink of panic, you had to take enjoyment in those little things.

"Everyone else is asleep." Gazzy mumbled, "Dylan sent them to bed…"

"You guys better go to sleep to." Max said, and quickly corrected herself, "Actually WE better go to bed. We're going to be flying tomorrow. But hey, in three days or so, we'll get to see Iggy."

After a few wayward questions, to which Max just said she'd explain in the morning, the two remaining members of the Flock were off to bed. Max herself slid underneath her covers. It would probably be the last bed for a few days that they were going to be sleeping in. A luxury she'd gotten slightly used to, she was a little ashamed to say.

Still, she sighed to herself, holding her hand to her heart. No, even if Fang tore her to pieces, she'd still come and rescue him. She loved him, even if he didn't love her back. Even if he didn't want to see her. _You're going to be alright Fang._ She thought, eyes sliding closed. _You better be alright._

* * *

_**AND it's done -jazzhands-**_

_**Wow, lot happening in this chapter. So you guys still don't know what's happened to Fang (SORRY), but the Flock's heading over to Japan!**_

_**Le-gasp, how in the world is Kaito involved in all this madness anyways? When in the world did he meet Fang? And did I write him alright? It feels weird now XD because I'm now used to thinking of him as Glow's character, and I kept telling myself she'd be able to do it better. e_e; yes. I can shamelessly take characters from REAL authors and such and confidently write them out, but give me one my friend usually plays and I feel like I'm doing it wrong.**_

_**I was much more comfortable writing out Aoko XD I love Aoko, have you guys learned that? Favorite DC character right there. And since I LOVE writing with her there will probably be more of her in future chapters (YAYAYAY XD)**_

_**Also, poor Shinichi :C**_

_**And Max -sniff- oh gosh.**_

_**Anyways, R&R, sorry for the long wait. You know I love you all right? XD**_


End file.
